Life's a Beach
by njwriter62
Summary: Bella takes a winter vacation to her favorite place in the world, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Leaving a tough year and cold weather behind, she hope the warm beach will help her forget her troubles and find some happiness - maybe even love. Little does she know she's not the only one with the same idea.
1. Chapter 1

Life's a Beach

Chapter 1

A/N – It's been a while since I've written FanFiction, but the good news is that I've been busy writing my first original fiction novel. I'm very excited to announce that my romantic suspense novel Double Image (under my pen name Kate Francis) is now available on Barnes and Noble as a paperback and an ebook. While it's not quite as light as my usual FF stories, I hope my readers will enjoy it. If you decide to check it out, thanks!

I was inspired to write this story, Life's a Beach, when I received a bunch of follows on one of my older stories this week. I don't know how so many people found it all of a sudden, but I'm grateful! This story is a tribute to my favorite place in the world, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. While enjoying a winter vacation here this week, I'm awed by the recovery this place has made after Hurricane Matthew. They deserve a ton of credit.

Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer, and no copyright infringement is intended.

Bella Swan loved the beach. She dug her toes into the sun-warmed South Carolina sand, scrunching and releasing them until she found the water-cooled grains underneath. The sound of the gentle waves made a soothing backdrop, accompanied by the cries of seagulls swooping overhead. She stretched her arms up to the sky and just sighed as she felt herself completely relax for the first time in ages. This place, so different from home yet so familiar from years of vacations, spoke to her very soul. It had been a tough year, and this trip couldn't come soon enough. She wasn't one for crowds, and much preferred coming here in January, before classes started for spring semester, instead of braving the more popular but crowded summer months. Her beautiful island (at least that's the way she thought of it) rewarded her with a forecast of five straight 70 degree days. She was going to enjoy this.

She pushed her sunglasses up her nose and headed up the beach. It was still early in the morning but there were a scattering of people all out for a beach walk. A couple with an early rising toddler were setting up beach chairs and an umbrella as the little boy grabbed handfuls of sand. She allowed herself to drift toward the water, smiling when it washed gently over her toes. An older couple, who reminded her of her Nana Marie and Grandpa Charles approached from the other direction, holding hands and chatting happily.

"Good morning" said the couple in unison. Bella smiled and returned their greeting. As they passed her, she couldn't help but take a quick look at them over her shoulder and watched as the man lifted his wife's hand and kissed it gently. Somewhere, sometime in her future, that's what she wanted. Long-time love, full of obvious affection. Bella had yet to find that kind of love, or if she was being honest, anything even close to it. Especially not this year. Quite the opposite. She shook her head to dispel the thought.

Turning her attention back to the beach, she continued on her way. Some of the seagulls that were circling overhead landed nearby, pecking with determination at the sand in search of breakfast. They spread out in every direction and one wandered right in her path. Amused, she stopped to watch the bird. Her presence didn't seem to bother him at all.

"Good morning, little one" she said. "Finding something good to eat?" The gull looked at her, tipped his head to the side, and went back to his business. "I see" she said. "You're too busy for a conversation. Well, I'll let you get back…"

Something slammed into Bella from behind, knocking her feet out from under her. She barely had time to register what was happening before she landed flat on her ass in the wet sand. The water seeped into her shorts and panties but she couldn't catch her breath fast enough to think about standing up. A big reddish gold blur ran in a circle around her, splashing her previously dry shirt with more sea water as she threw her arms up to protect her face. She felt the heavy warm breath on her hands and peeked through her fingers. There stood a huge golden retriever, a happy smile on his face as he panted.

Suddenly Bella realized what he was preparing to do. "No!" she shouted, but it was too late. The dog shook himself from head to tail, spraying her with sandy water. All she could do was flop back on the sand, holding her belly as she laughed.

"Oh shit!" The voice came from behind her, accompanied by the sound of flip-flops as they slapped against the sand. "Bad Aro! Bad! Sit!" The dog stopped shaking and sat on Bella's feet. She laughed even harder as the wet fur tickled her toes. A shadow fell over her face but all she could see was shaggy hair and the outline of broad shoulders.

"Crap. Are you okay?"

It was the most beautiful voice she'd ever heard.

"I'm really sorry about my dog. He's still a puppy and sometime he gets a little enthusiastic. He was supposed to be chasing a ball but I guess he got carried away." A hand reached for hers and pulled her to a sitting position. The owner of the voice knelt in the sand in front of her. With the sun blocked by his body, she could see him clearly for the first time.

His face was as beautiful as his voice. Reddish hair, almost bronze, glinted in the sun. His face was sharp, angular, but undeniably handsome. He wore a pair of bright orange swim trunks and his flip-flops sat next to him in the sand where he'd kicked them off. Bella realized she'd stopped laughing and found herself unable to talk.

"Please say something" the man pleaded. His green eyes were wide with concern. "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Bella felt bad that he was so worried. "I'm fine" she answered, "really." She looked at the sand coating her arms and legs. "He just knocked the wind out of me, that's all."

"Do you think you can stand up?" She nodded. "Move, Aro" he said, pushing the big dog off her feet. He reached out and took both her hands as he pulled her to her feet. He looked her over from head to toe. "You look okay" he said, then paused. "I mean, you don't just look okay, you look great, but you don't look like you have any cuts or anything broken." His eyes drifted lower.

Bella blushed when she realized she was soaking wet. She'd chosen jean shorts and a white tee shirt for her morning walk instead of a bathing suit. "I, ah…."

He had the decency to blush and snapped his eyes back to her face. "You're all wet."

"Yeah" she said. "All I need is a wet tee shirt contest."

"I don't think you'll find one here" he answered. "Oh, wait." He reached behind him and pulled out a tank top that had been tucked into the back of his bathing suit. "Here. Maybe this will help."

She nodded and pulled the dark blue tank over her head. "Thanks."

"Look, can I make this up to you? There's a coffee shop a little way up the beach…" He stopped when the dog grabbed one of his sandals and took off down the beach. "Aro! Get back here!" He grabbed the other sandal and started after the dog. "I'm sorry, I have to catch up with him."

"it's okay, go" she said, understanding but disappointed about the coffee. "Wait….how will I get your shirt back to you?"

"I'll find you" he said, jogging backwards. "I'm Edward….Edward Cullen."

"Bella Swan" she answered.

"I'll find you, Bella Swan." He waved and took off down the beach after the dog, who had a considerable head start in the wrong direction.

Bella watched him as he ran, admiring his athletic body and his speed. An athlete of some kind, she thought. "I hope you will" she said to herself as she brushed sand from her legs. before turning and continuing her walk. The island was already working its magic on her.


	2. Chapter 2

Life's a Beach

Chapter 2

A/N - Thanks to everyone who's following this story! I love the reviews. Sadly, my vacation on Hilton Head Island is over and I'm back in the rainy, cold northeast. Let's see what's up with these two.

Bella hardly remembered the walk back to the two bedroom condo she and her roommates were sharing for their vacation. In some part of her mind, she was aware of colors – the soft blue of the early morning ocean, the grey-brown of the pelicans skimming the surface of the water in search of breakfast. And textures – the squishy, clumpy wet sand that changed to soft, slippery dry sand as she made her way up the beach. She opened the door, almost surprised she'd managed to find it with her brain otherwise engaged, and breathed in the cool air-conditioned air.

"Nice walk?"

Bella looked up to see her best friend and roommate Alice sitting on the couch flipping through a magazine. "Yeah, it was pretty…." The memory of those beautiful green eyes filled her head and she trailed off, not sure how to describe the walk that started out wonderful and became something even more wonderful.

"Okay" said Alice, tossing the magazine to the side. "What happened?"

"What makes you think anything happened?" Bella opened the refrigerator and took out a bottle of water. She looked down at her legs and grimaced when she remembered exactly how sand covered she was.

"For starters, you stopped talking in the middle of a sentence, and even though I know how much you love this place, you are completely distracted. Second, you won't look me in the eyes. And third of all" Alice gave Bella a good once over "you are covered in sand and wearing a shirt that doesn't belong to you. What the hell, Bella?"

Rosalie emerged from the second bedroom. "What did Bella do now?"

Bella narrowed her eyes at Alice. "Bella didn't do anything. I just went for a walk on the beach. I'm not wasting a second of our time here, and that means I get to enjoy the sun coming up over the beach while you two are still in bed."

"Don't try to change the subject" said Alice.

"You might as well tell us" said Rose. "You know she's going to get it out of you."

Bella knew Rose was right. Alice was like a human lie detector. It was impossible to hide anything from her for long, so she and Rose had learned early on not to even try. "Okay, I'll tell you. But after I take a shower. Like you said, I'm covered in sand and it's getting everywhere."

Grudgingly, Alice agreed. "Fine. I don't want to spend the week sweeping up sand."

Rosalie snorted. "Like you ever sweep up anything. You wouldn't know a vacuum cleaner if you tripped over it."

Even Alice had to laugh at that one. "True, true. Okay, Bella, go take your shower. Just tell us one thing. Was there a guy involved in getting you all disheveled?"

Bella smiled mischievously. "Oh yeah, definitely. He was absolutely gorgeous, with this reddish brown hair and beautiful eyes, the most amazing smile and a face to die for." She headed toward the bathroom, knowing Rose and Alice were hanging on her every word. "And he had really big….paws. Four of them." With that she scooted into the bathroom and closed the door before the pillow Alice threw at her could make contact.

LAB

Thirty minutes later, the three friends sat on the balcony sipping coffee and watching the ocean.

"Admit it, Alice. Bella got you good with that one." Rose smirked. "So what was the story with the dog?"

"I was just walking along, enjoying myself when this huge golden retriever ran up behind me and knocked me down. I landed in the water, got soaking wet which made my shirt embarrassingly transparent, and his owner felt bad and gave me his shirt to cover up."

Alice perked up at that. "You didn't say anything about the dog's owner. What was he like?"

Bella couldn't help the blush that spread across her face. "He was gorgeous too, actually. And he was really sweet. I mean, he couldn't stop apologizing." She frowned. "And he offered to take me out for coffee…"

"Tell me you said yes, Bella." Alice glared. "When life throws a beautiful, charming man in front of you, you have to say yes."

"I was going to" Bella admitted "but then the dog took off with his sandal and he had to go chase him."

"Please tell me you at least got his name" sighed Rosalie. She exchanged a look with Alice. They were determined to make sure their friend had a good time on this vacation. Bella was the one who always took care of everyone else, and it was time that they took care of her.

"It's Edward. And he said he'd find me." Bella looked down at her coffee, not wanting to hope he meant it. "You know, so I could return his shirt."

"I bet he wants to do more than get his shirt back" said Alice.

"Yeah, you and me both" admitted Bella with a grin. "He was pretty amazing."

Alice gave her hand a quick squeeze, then pulled out the magazine she'd been reading. "I think we should take turns deciding where to go for dinner each night. I went through this restaurant guide to figure out where we should go tonight. I found this place that sounds really good."

"What it is?" Rosalie asked. "I'm ready for some great seafood."

"It's called Jasper's Pub" said Alice, reading from the menu. "Specializing in local seafood, which will make Rose happy, it has an amazing dessert menu, which will make Bella happy, and a great beer selection, which will make all of us happy. And they have music, too."

Bella and Rose high-fived their friend. "It sounds perfect" said Bella. "Now can we hit the beach?"

LAB

Edward loved his dog, really he did, but he didn't know whether to hug him or scold him after his run in – literally - with the beautiful girl named Bella Swan. Winter at home was cold, so running on the beach in January was a real treat, and he couldn't resist taking the overgrown puppy with him. He was doing so good chasing and retrieving the ball. When Aro took off and ran past the ball toward the brunette, Edward felt a sickening feeling in his gut as he knew what was gonna happen. All he could do was watch as Bella fell in slow motion into the water.

He sprinted up the beach, cringing in anticipation of what he would find. Instead of a sobbing mess of a girl, he found her laughing. Laughing! He started to laugh too, in relief more than anything else, until he noticed what the water had done to her tee shirt. His eyes widened as he took in her curves. He made himself look at her face – not her chest, Edward, he scolded – and nearly melted at her chocolate brown eyes and flushed cheeks. He wanted to make her laugh like that every day.

Just when he thought he'd set up a coffee date, damn if Aro didn't take off again down the beach with his sandal. At least he had her name. Edward was only in Hilton Head for a few more days, but he was confident he could track her down. His cousin knew everyone on the Island, and together, he was sure they could find her.

Edward grimaced when he saw that Aro was now rolling around in the sand, apparently showing off for a little girl with blond pigtails who was building a castle. Oh well, getting sand in his fur was always a possibility when you took a dog on the beach. He jogged up to the dog and called for him. "Aro! Come here." The big dog simply smiled at him, and rolled over one more time for good measure. That gave Edward enough time to close in and grab him by the collar.

"What a cute dog you have" came a sultry voice. Edward turned to find that the little girl was getting some help on the sand castle from a twenty something woman in a very small bathing suit. "What's his name?"

"Right now his name is bad dog" said Edward, with what he hoped was a polite but non-committal smile. "Have a good day" he said, and took off down the beach. The woman was pretty enough, but all he could picture was the lovely Ms. Swan. He needed a plan to find her, and soon. Silently he reviewed what he knew about her. When Aro hit her, Bella was walking north on the beach, but Edward didn't know if she was going toward her place or away from it. He scolded himself for not turning around to try and see where she went.

Edward reached his cousin's place and picked up the hose. He turned the water on and did his best to get the sand out of Aro's fur. It would suck if he dragged sand all over the place. When he was done, Aro gave his usual big shake and then trotted up the back stairs. Edward stepped inside, drying his hair with a beach towel. He took a deep breath and inhaled the scent of bacon. He laughed when he saw his cousin wearing a "Kiss the Chef" apron. "That's a good look for you."

"Thanks. Want some breakfast?"

"Sure, if you're cooking."

"How was the beach this morning? Aro any better behaved today than he was the last few days?"

Edward just shook his head. Every morning this week he'd had a story about something Aro did while they were out for their morning jog. "Well, he didn't steal any food this morning, or get tangled in any fishing lines, or run away with some kid's kite."

"But…?"

"But he did take off down the beach and run smack into the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. Knocked her flat on her ass in the water."

"Maybe he was just trying to help you, you know, do a little matchmaking. Was she okay?"

Edward ran his hand through his hair. "She was fine, and an incredibly good sport about it. She actually laughed about it." He didn't mention the whole tee shirt thing. That was kind of personal, he thought. "She had a great laugh."

"Sounds like somebody is a little smitten" said his cousin as he scooped eggs and bacon onto two plates.

Edward grinned. "Yeah, I guess I am."

"So why didn't you ask her out? Did you even get her name?"

"I asked her for coffee, but Aro took off down the beach and I had to chase after him." Edward took a seat at the table. "But I got her name. Bella."

"Does she live up to her name?"

"Beautiful? Yeah" said Edward. "She really does. I just had this feeling….when I helped her up it was like, this is someone I really want to know. You have to help me find her."

"Sure, let's do it. But remember, you're playing tonight."

Edward dropped his head into his hands. "Right, I forgot."

"I wouldn't ask but I really need you tonight. Seth won't be back from Florida till tomorrow and you know how much the tourists love the music. But I promise, tomorrow we'll find your mystery woman."

Edward exhaled and gave his cousin a sincere smile. "Thanks, Jasper. You're the best."


	3. Chapter 3

Life's A Beach

Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting, and thanks to the readers who encouraged me (so politely!) to get back to it. I had some minor eye surgery and it was hard to type with a patch over one eye. Now I'm catching up on everything but will try to do a better job of keeping on schedule. As always, everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

Looks like everyone is heading to the same place tonight. Let's see what happens at Jasper's Pub!

Bella was sure of one thing. Alice was the best researcher of anyone she knew. All you had to do was mention a topic, and Alice would find out everything there was to know. Wanted to know the best local beer? Alice was on it and had an answer in minutes. Wanted to know the best place to buy those cute boots with the fur around the top? She probably knew that one off the top of her head. Wanted to know the best place on the island to listen to music while eating amazing shrimp? According to Alice, it was Jasper's Pub. So Bella and Rosalie had no concerns at all about the evening to come. Someone else might not do their homework, might not check the latest info, and would lead you to some lame retro-disco wine tasting bar instead, but not Alice. Sure enough, as they approached the place, Bella could tell they would have an amazing time. Frankly, any place on Hilton Head was amazing as far as she was concerned. She would have been happy sitting on their little deck and reading a book, as long as she could hear the ocean. But she needed time with her girls too. They were long overdue.

The place sat right along the water of Skull Creek. It didn't look too old or too new, maybe like an older place that had been updated. Considering it was January, Bella didn't expect a lot of people or a long wait for a table, but the parking lot was full. Rose turned their little rental car in and parked between two other buildings. When she stepped out of the car, Bella had to just stop for a moment and take it all in. The sun was setting over the creek, the last licks of sunlight reaching out like fingers extended across the horizon. She could see a string of lights reaching around the inside of the pub and hear the muffled laughter of those inside.

"Alice, you did it again" said Rose. "This looks perfect for our first night out."

"Of course it's perfect" Alice replied "now the two of you will have to do just as good when it's your turn to pick. Good luck with that." She smiled smugly. Bella never seemed to care where they went, as long as they were together, and Rose didn't have the patience to look for a place, which led them to some rather shady places in the past. Good thing they'd let Alice pick first.

"We can't go wrong on the island, so just relax" said Bella. "We still bow down to the wonder that is Alice Brandon." She pulled open the door and stopped in her tracks when she heard the sound of a guitar. It wasn't so much that someone was playing the guitar, rather, it was like someone was gently coaxing the music out and wrapping it around the patrons. Rose and Alice, comparing notes about something, didn't realize she had stopped and ran right into the back of her, pushing her into the room. Bella managed not to fall and looked up to see a handsome guy with shaggy blond hair holding out a hand to her. She grasped it for balance and apologized.

"I'm so sorry. My friends" she wheeled around and gave them a steely stare "are just a little anxious."

"Well, ladies, welcome" he said. "My name is Jasper and I hope you'll always be tripping over yourselves trying to get into my place."

Alice's eyes were wide. "You're Jasper?"

"The one and only, ma'am. This is my place and though I love it to death, it's gone up in quality several notches now that you are gracing the premises." He let go of Bella's hand with a wink and reached for Alice. "And your name, darling?"

"I'm Alice" she nearly whispered as Jasper placed a soft kiss on the back of her hand.

"Of course you are" he said, nearly as awestruck as she was.

Rose snorted. "And I'm Rosalie, though clearly no one here cares."

A big guy with brown curly hair and the cutest dimples raised his hand from behind the bar. "I care!"

"Well, aren't you special to say so" she said, slinking over to a barstool.

"Actually, I am pretty special" dimple guy responded. "Good thing you figured it out early. Have a seat at my bar, ladies, while Jasper kicks somebody out so he can give you a table."

"Allow me to get you the best seat in the house" said Jasper. He gestured to the front of the room. "That table will be empty in about 15 minutes, and I have no doubt Emmett can keep you entertained and happy until then."

Bella nearly giggled as she watched her friends, who normally prided themselves on making guys work for their attention, immediately spark a connection with Emmett the bartender and their host Jasper. She had the feeling they'd be spending a few of their evenings out right here. Now if only she knew where to find the guy she was looking for. She shook her head and turned to look where Jasper was pointing.

"As soon as it's ready, I'm going to seat you right up in the front so you can watch the lovely and talented…"

"Edward" gasped Bella. She clasped her hand over her mouth as she recognized the gorgeous bronze hair of the guitar player. Though she had hardly spoken loud enough for Jasper or Alice to hear her, Edward's head shot up as though she'd shouted his name.

His fingers seemed to hesitate on the strings for just a second, then a smile grew across his beautiful face. Bella couldn't help but smile in return, and he nodded in acknowledgement.

"That's your Edward?" asked Alice.

Jasper looked from Alice to Bella. "You know Edward? He didn't say he had anyone coming tonight."

"We don't exactly know each other" said Bella and Jasper started to laugh.

"I know, you must be Aro's friend. The one he gave an impromptu roll in the ocean this morning?"

Bella blushed, hoping Jasper didn't know exactly how transparent Aro made her. "Yup" she said. "That was me. Salt water and sand in all kinds of places I didn't plan on."

"Well, then, it's a good thing you're here. Edward doesn't play here for us that often, though I always try to talk him into it. You're in for a treat. If you'll excuse me." Jasper scooted away to deal with a departing customer on the other side of the room.

"He's so beautiful" said Alice.

"I told you" Bella replied.

"No, not him…I mean Jasper." Alice laughed. "Although dog guy is pretty hot too."

"Don't call him that" said Bella. "But he is hot. What do you think, Rose?"

There was no immediate answer. Bella and Alice both turned, only to find Rose engaged in a heated argument with the bartender. The girls moved closer so they could hear what was going on.

"I don't care if that's your signature drink, Emmett. I'm telling you that it's made with dark rum and only dark rum. None of that other girly stuff."

"Now Rose" he said, as if trying to placate her "I know my customers and I can tell what they want to drink. You try this my way, and we'll see who knows best."

"Challenge accepted." Rose grabbed the drink he held out to her and downed it. "I'll admit it was different. And kind of tasty. But try it my way now." Emmett stared at her with a look somewhere between admiration and lust.

Bella and Alice just looked at each other. "I think we've lost Rose for the evening."

Jasper sidled up behind them and put an arm around each of their shoulders. "Well, that might work out just fine. Your table is ready, and I'll be happy to occupy the other chair when I can since Rose and Emmett are otherwise engaged. This way, ladies. Your table and your musician await."

LAB

As much as Edward wanted to pass on playing at Jasper's Pub, he know he owed it to his host. He and Jasper were cousins, but they always been more like brothers. When Edward was little, every summer had been spent on the island with Jasper and his parents. Wonderful, idyllic summers full of beaches and sandcastles, turning to kayaks and jet skis and sometimes girls as they got older. Around the time Edward went off to college three years ago, Jasper's parents made the decision to move further south and left the pub to their only son. After all, they'd named it after him when they first bought it ten years before and always intended that it would be his to run, if that's what he wanted.

Nothing changed much at first, but over time, real life seemed to kick in for the cousins. Jasper's Pub was more popular than ever, and Edward ended up helping behind the bar when he came down for the summer. Then they'd met Emmett, and he immediately became part of the team both in and out of the bar. Even though they had more work and less time to play, the cousins remained close. Only recently had Edward's life changed again, and he had less and less time to spare, especially in the summer. So he decided to head down in January this year, and after running into Bella on the beach, he was glad he did.

He didn't mind filling in for Seth tonight, but he was a little disappointed that it meant one more day before he could search out his girl, for that's how he'd already started to think of her. He'd launched into his playlist and after the first few songs he felt an odd prickle of electricity run up his spine. Edward wondered for a second if there was a problem with one of the speakers and maybe he'd hit a loose wire or something. Then he heard his name, as clear as if the person speaking it was standing right next to him. He looked up, and there she was. His Bella.

Edward nearly missed the next few notes but he was good enough to cover his mistake quickly. He watched as a smile spread across Bella's face, once that surely matched his own. Jasper looked from Edward to Bella, and his grin made it clear that he'd figured out exactly who she was. With a wink at Edward, Jasper pointed to the table right next to where he was playing. Edward was never so happy to see Mr. and Mrs. Henderson, two of his favorite regulars, getting ready to pay their bill and leave.

Jasper made sure to seat Bella in the chair where she could look directly at Edward. He put Alice on the other side, so that there was an open seat next to her. One that he intended to occupy whenever possible. He took their drink orders and headed to the bar, where he had to interrupt Emmett and Rosalie and remind Emmett that they had other customers too. Edward finished the song he was playing just as Jasper brought the girl's drinks and slid into the seat next to Alice.

"Hey folks" said Edward, and paused to acknowledge the applause. "I'm going to take a little break from my usual playlist, if that's okay. I need to play a special song for a special friend." He really, really hoped Bella liked his music, and really, really hoped she wouldn't mind if he singled her out. With a slightly sheepish grin, he pointed his guitar in her direction. "Bella, this is for you." And every woman in the pub sighed.


	4. Chapter 4

Life's A Beach

Chapter 4

 **A/N – Thanks for your patience. I'm back, after eye surgery number 2, and anxious to get back to our beach friends. Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight, Keith Urban and the Beach Boys own their songs. I don't own any of it, and no copyright infringement is intended. Enjoy!**

Bella's breath caught in her throat when Edward announced to the crowd that he was singing a song just for her. They'd only known each other for a day. Less than a day. And had only seen each other for less than an hour out of that day. But somehow, it felt right. Comfortable, like puzzle pieces that instantly fit together. Definitely worth exploring. It seemed, she thought, as though he felt the same. She glanced around and realized that people were looking at her, some smiling sweetly, some sighing, and a couple of female faces were giving her the evil eye. Too bad, she thought, allowing herself to just…feel. For once, she was the one someone had noticed, and she intended to enjoy every second of it. Something kept throwing the two of them together, and she thanked her lucky stars.

Her brown eyes met his green eyes and everyone watching could see the same sparkle in both pairs. Edward flashed her a sexy grin and started to play. Bella gasped when she recognized the opening notes of Keith Urban's "Kiss a Girl." Edward kept his eyes on her face as he began to sing.

 _To kiss and tell, it's just not my style_

 _But the night is young and it's been a while_

 _And she broke my heart, broke it right in two_

 _And it took some time but I'm feelin' like_

 _I'm finally ready to find, find somebody new_

His smile was bright and his voice was warm as he hit the chorus.

 _I wanna kiss a girl, I wanna hold her tight_

 _Maybe make a little magic in the moonlight_

Bella felt herself just melt. By the end of the song, when the words he sang asked if she wanted the kiss, she all but jumped out of her chair to give him one. Instead, she sat back in shock and amazement as Edward was suddenly pelted by a dozen or so little balls of some kind. "What the hell?" she said to Jasper, who was laughing so hard he couldn't speak. Alice and Bella stared at each other, wondering what kind of crazy thing was going on around them.

Edward lowered his guitar and laughed. "Okay" he said. "I get it, I get it."

Jasper stood and addressed the crowd, some of whom were laughing right along with him, while others looked as confused as Alice and Bella. "We have a little rule here at Jasper's for our entertainers. You see this an island, and islands have beaches, and well, we have the best damn island, and the best beaches, and the best lifestyle here of anywhere in the whole world." The crowd cheered at that. "So our talent" he gestured to Edward, who stood and took a bow "has to abide by Jasper's rule number 2. All songs played must have something to do with the beach. At least until we're all too drunk to keep track."

Emmett yelled from the bar "And what happens when you break rule number 2?" A big crowd of obvious regulars yelled back "You get crabs!" Bella looked at Edward, puzzled, and he tossed her one of the little balls that had been thrown at him. It wasn't a ball, she realized, a little stuffed animal – a fuzzy little stuffed crab. She started to laugh when she realized that a small silver pail in the middle of the table was full of the soft toys.

"Now, we can all appreciate that Edward really would like to kiss the lovely Miss Bella" said Jasper, playing to his audience. "But he's gotta play by the rules. We'll give you a chance to redeem yourself by singing her a beach song."

"If he does" shouted Rosalie, a dangerous smirk on her face "does that mean Bella gets her kiss?" Alice jumped up from the table, ran to the bar, and gave Rosalie a giant high-five. Bella's mouth fell open as she stared at her friends.

"Absolutely" shouted Jasper, and it seemed everyone in the place cheered.

Edward watched as Bella's face flushed with color, and that just made him want her more than before. He motioned for the crowd to settle down. "Okay then, I have one more chance right? Well, I'm not gonna go into the details" he wiggled his eyebrows "but when I met Bella it was on the beach and she was….in the water. So here goes song number 2 for rule number 2."

He began to strum softly, and the baby boomers in the crowd looked at each other with a knowing smile. This was their music, but it belonged to beach lovers everywhere. His voice matched the music, all soft and slow.

 _Little surfer, little one_

 _Make my heart come all undone_

 _Do you love me, do you surfer girl…surfer girl my little surfer girl…_

Bella melted all over again. She loved the Beach Boys and their music. Her mom listened to it all the time, and she had great memories of dancing around the living room to their songs and singing them together on the long drive to Hilton Head, car windows down, hair blowing in the breeze. As she listened to the familiar words, made so much more by the look of Edward's face, she thought to herself that yes, maybe she could love him. Maybe she already did.

The crowd broke into applause as he finished the song. Edward stood, took a bow, and announced "Now, I think I've earned my break. And my kiss?" He looked at Bella, and she nodded. He handed Jasper his guitar, took Bella's hand, and pulled her out the front door to cheers from the crowd and cries of "You go girl" from Alice and Rose. When they were outside, he smiled at their joined hands. "This OK?"

Bella smiled. "It's more than OK. But I think you owe me a kiss."

"Well, I didn't want to just rush into it" he replied, drawing her over to a bench that sat along the water. "You need the right setting, the right timing…"

"And what else" she breathed as they sat.

"The right girl" he whispered. Turning her so they faced each other, Edward ran one hand up her arm and used the fingers of his other hand to gently brush her cheek. Then he took her face in both hands and tipped it up to meet his. He pressed his lips against hers, gently at first, then more firmly when she didn't resist. Her lips were soft and sweet, and he could taste the fruity cocktail she'd been drinking. They moved together, and when he broke the kiss he rested his forehead against hers.

"I'm no more of an expert than anyone else, but that was a pretty awesome first kiss" he said.

"If you do say so yourself" Bella added with a chuckle. "Yes, on the scale of 1-10, with 10 being the best first kiss ever, this was a fifteen. That's a pretty big deal. Do you think we should try it again, just to be sure?"

"That's some big chance we'd be taking" Edward said, pushing her long chestnut hair behind her ears. "I mean, we've already got the record." He smirked. "But I always say, go big or go home." With that he pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly. "Mmmmm" he said. "We might have set a new record."

"Definitely" Bella answered, running her fingers through his messy hair.

A voice from the pub entrance caught their attention. "Edward!" Jasper yelled. "I hate to interrupt, but you're back on, buddy."

"Nice timing, Jas" scowled Edward. "But I suppose I should finish my set. Just promise me you won't listen to any stories he tells you about me."

"Have you known each other a long time?" Bella stood and smiled when Edward took her hand again.

"My whole life" said Edward. "We're cousins, but we were raised more like brothers. I spent every summer down here with my aunt and uncle, and Jas and I…well, you can imagine the kind of trouble we got into. When we were teenagers, Emmett moved here and fit right in." He looked down. "I don't get to see them as much anymore, so I really love the time I get to spend here."

"Where's home?" she asked.

"Chicago" he answered. "How about you?"

"New Jersey" she replied. "Don't get me wrong, I love the Jersey shore, but there's just something about this place."

He nodded in agreement. "How do you know Alice and Rosalie?"

"We've been friends since we were little. Inseparable, really. When it was time to go to college, we all went together and got an apartment." Bella smiled, a sad little smile. "I used to come here all the time with my mom and dad, but we lost my mom a while ago, and dad just couldn't bring himself to visit. But it's the opposite with me. This is my happy place."

"Well, you certainly made it my happy place tonight" said Edward, placing a gentle kiss on her neck just below her ear. He smirked when he felt her shiver. "Will you hang around until I'm done tonight?" They reached the doorway of the bar, and Bella could see her two best friends draped around Jasper and Emmett.

"I don't think I've got much choice" she said. "But yes, I'll hang around. As long as you want me to."

Edward placed one final kiss on her slightly swollen lips before leading her back in the door. "That could be a really long time" he whispered. They entered the bar hand in hand to loud applause and cheers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our entertainment has returned" announced Jasper. Edward took his guitar and sat up front.

"I don't know, folks, I'm going to try to sing but to be honest, my brain is a little scrambled right now and I may have trouble remembering the words to any of the songs" Edward said with mock sadness. "Y'all might have to sing along with me." This was clearly a popular idea, as everyone cheered. Bella took her seat, with Alice and Rose joining her at the table as Edward led the crowd in an upbeat Beach Boys song.

As he sang, he only hoped he'd get to have enough time with Bella to convince her he was worth the effort. After all, he only had two days left before he headed back to all the decisions he left behind.


	5. Chapter 5

Life's A Beach

Chapter 5

A/N: Thanks to everyone for the sweet comments! I'm glad you liked the kiss…sigh. As always, everything Twlight belongs to Ms. Meyer. Any music belongs to its respective singers/groups.

Bella rested her elbows on the table, her chin on her fists, sighed, and watched her old and new friends. She thought to herself that there had never been a more wonderful night. The most beautiful boy she'd ever met sang to her – to her! And he kissed her. It was the best kiss she'd ever experienced. Everyone else looked nearly as happy as she felt.

Alice, tiny thing that she was, was tucked under Jasper's arm as he took a last look around the empty bar. Only the six of them remained. Emmett wiped down the bar and kept stealing sideways glances at Rosalie, who picked up all the little stuffed crabs from the floor and was putting them back in the silver buckets. Edward packed away his guitar, the job taking him twice as long as usual since he couldn't stop looking at Bella. Jasper deposited Alice next to Bella and started putting chairs up on tables. He'd do a final clean up in the morning, before opening for lunch.

"There's one thing I don't get about this place" said Alice.

"What's that, darling?" asked Jasper. "If the three of us can't answer it, nobody on the island can."

She stole one of the stuffed animals from the bucket and held it up. "If Edward got these cute little crabs thrown at him for breaking rule number 2, what's rule number one?"

The three guys shared a mischievous look and shouted together. "Everybody goes home happy!"

"Well, now there's a rule I can get behind" purred Rosalie.

Emmett grinned, tossed the rag he'd been using behind the bar, and nearly impaled himself on the railing trying to get around the bar. "And there's a behind I can…."

Rosalie's eyebrow went up. "If you want to live, you won't finish that sentence." Emmett, a man who was much smarter than he pretended to be, decided to quit while he was ahead.

"Well, then, that's my cue to lock up" drawled Jasper. "C'mon, Miss Alice. Let me walk you to your car."

They all made their way outside, pairing off to share some end of the evening kisses and getting to know you caresses. Edward gently but firmly pulled Bella close to him. He wrapped his arms around her hips, his hands resting on her back in a way that made her skin tingle and her breathing pick up. "I'm glad you let me sing to you tonight" he said softly, before planting a sweet kiss on her forehead. "I hope it wasn't, well, I hope you didn't think it was too corny." He actually blushed a little, which melted Bella's heart.

"It was perfect" she murmured. "Every bit of it." She poked him in the chest. "Remember, we set a record for best first kiss after those songs."

"So we did" he whispered before kissing her softly on the neck just behind her ear. He fought a sudden urge to nibble on the sweet skin, afraid to mark her. Instead he pressed his lips more firmly against hers, hoping to convey with his lips what he felt in his heart but wasn't ready to say. He felt a little foolish, but in a good way, wanting this girl so much when they'd only just met. But there was something about her, something about this pull he felt toward her. Like magnets. "Meet me on the beach tomorrow morning?"

"I don't know. Do you promise to keep control of your dog?" Bella smiled at him, remembering her run in with the overly enthusiastic Aro that morning.

"I can't even promise I'll keep control of myself" he said with a little growl, only partly kidding. "But I'll do my best to keep Aro under control. If anyone's gonna knock you in the water tomorrow, it's gonna be me." There was that cheeky grin again. "Maybe you should wear a white tee shirt again. You know, just in case."

Bella swatted his arm, pretending to be annoyed. "Watch it."

"Oh, I would" he said. "I already did." He blushed again at the memory.

"Maybe I'll wear a bathing suit tomorrow." Now it was Bella who had the evil grin.

"Ok" stuttered Edward, imagining what she'd look like in a bikini. He had a good imagination. "Till tomorrow, then."

"Till tomorrow" she whispered, just as his lips pressed against hers. His hands slid up her back, cradling her against him as they explored lips, tongues, teeth. They finally broke apart, reluctantly, only to find that the other two couples were similarly occupied.

"Hey" shouted Edward. "If I have to stop, so do you guys." Reluctantly, the others separated, the boys stepping back as the girls settled into the little car. They all said their goodbyes, agreeing to meet up at Jasper's again the next night.

No sooner had the car pulled out of the parking lot when Rose and Alice began to sing a very off-key version of "Surfer Girl" that had Bella rolling her eyes. "You guy suck at singing, you know that, right?"

"We know" said Rose. "But there's so many things we're good at. And we've only just begun to show those boys what they are."

"Just remember, I'm the one who found Jasper's Pub" said Alice, polishing an imaginary medal on her chest. "You owe me, both of you."

"She's right, you know" said Bella to Rose. "We gotta give her credit for that."

Rose thought for a moment. "Ok, Alice, you deserve a prize for that. Think about what you want, because Bella and I definitely owe you for this one. And besides, Bella, this means you are I are off the hook for the rest of our trip."

"Why are you off the hook?" Alice narrowed her eyes. "I had to pick a restaurant, why don't you?"

"Because, pixie, we are going back there every night." Rose turned the car into the driveway. "And if things go the way I'm thinking, we may get to find out whether they can serve breakfast too." All three jumped out of the car, shouting and giving each other high fives. "Now, let's go open a bottle of wine and toast the magic that is Hilton Head for dropping three beautiful men right in our path." They danced up the driveway arm in arm, singing Beach Boys songs at the top of their lungs, and making plans for the next week.

Back at Jasper's house, the boys sat in front of the TV, sharing beers and talking about their luck in finding not just Bella, but her two friends.

"Best night ever" said Emmett. "With more nights ahead."

"You didn't tell her, did you?" asked Jasper, looking at Edward.

Edward just shook his head, dangling his beer bottle from his fingers and staring at his feet. What had seemed so perfect just a few minutes ago faded a little in the face of reality - a reality Jasper wanted him to acknowledge even though Edward didn't want to think about it. Couldn't he just have one night to forget about everything except the beautiful girl he'd been nearly wrapped around? Did he have to decide his whole future right now? Meeting her was going to complicate everything but he couldn't help but think she might be the best thing that ever happened to him.

"Tell her what?" asked Emmett, who was busy making the selfie he took with Rosalie into the new wallpaper on his phone.

"That I'm leaving in two days. That I have to go back to Chicago." Edward set the bottle down just a little too hard, splashing beer on the table. He ran his fingers through his hair, a sure tell that he was upset.

"Hey, man, you still have some time with her" said Emmett. "But I hear you. Is there any way you can stay longer? When do classes start for you?"

"The problem isn't my classes" Edward said, pacing. "There's another whole week before they start. The problem is my father. I've been summoned home" he made air quotes "for a serious discussion. That's what he calls it. It's really him explaining to me what my future is going to look like."

"Edward" said Jasper, sighing "don't….you don't have to give in on this."

"What do you want me to do, Jasper?" Edward stared out the window. The full moon reflected on the sand, turning it a shimmering silver. Was there any place as beautiful as this? Not in Chicago, that was for sure. It might be his favorite city, but it just didn't compare. He knew, deep in his heart, that this place felt more like home than the city where he was born or the house he shared with his parents.

"I want you to tell him how you really feel. What you want." Jasper put an arm on his cousin's shoulder and gave it an affectionate squeeze. "But for tonight, I want you to relax, finish your beer, and think about the beautiful Bella Swan, and how you're gonna see her tomorrow morning."

"Oh, yeah" said Emmett. "If I were you…"

"For the love of shellfish" laughed Jasper "he's not you. He'll actually woo the girl, not just tell her how lucky she is to have him."

"Hey" Emmett pouted. "Rosie didn't seem to mind me saying that."

Edward and Jasper both cracked up at the earnest look on Emmett's face. He might be an overgrown teddy bear, but he had no filter when it came to talking to women. Edward thought that based on what he saw tonight, Emmett may just have met his match in Rosalie. She looked perfectly capable of giving it right back to him.

"No offense, but I think I'll figure out what to say to Bella without your help, Em." Edward finished his beer. "I'll see you in the morning, guys. And thanks. I know you're just looking out for me. I'll figure it all out." He climbed the stairs to his room, changed out of his clothes, and flopped on the bed. He started making plans for the next morning. He was going to woo Bella. Not only was he going to woo her, he was going to win her over, all in the next 48 hours.


	6. Chapter 6

Life's A Beach

Chapter 6

A/N: I'm sitting here in snowy New Jersey and wishing I was back in Hilton Head. How is it where you are? Thanks again for the reviews – they are so appreciated! I had my first experience this week with some less than kind reviews on one of my older stories and it just made me appreciate all of you so much more. Even if it's just a smile or a quick word, it's great to know someone is reading and enjoying. Time to move the story along a bit…all things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer.

Edward waited nervously on the beach at the place he and Bella agreed to meet. Not wanting to take any chances, he'd talked Jasper into keeping Aro for him this morning, in exchange for Edward's promise to help rearrange some stuff in the storage room in the bar before he left. He'd stopped at a couple of places along the way this morning. First, the local coffee shop for two fresh, hot cups of coffee that he carried carefully. Then his favorite bakery, where he picked out an assortment of fresh croissants and his personal favorite, chocolate glazed donuts. He spread a blanket on the beach after making sure he knew which way the tide was going (out, thank goodness) and dug two holes in the sand to hold the coffees. He put the box with the pastries in the center of the blanket and sat, his arms stretched out in back of him, to wait for her. His phone chimed, and he grabbed it, thinking it might be Bella.

"Hello?"

"Good morning, Edward." The voice was not the one he'd been hoping to hear.

"Good morning, Dad. What do you want?" Edward tried not to sound rude. He loved his father, really he did, but they just didn't see eye to eye these days.

"Do I have to want something? Can't I just call and say hello to my son?" His father's voice reflected his own frustration.

"Of course you can, Dad. It's just…" Edward didn't really want to share too much about who he was meeting. "I'm meeting someone for breakfast, and they should be here any minute."

"I won't keep you long. I just wanted to check that your flight information was still the same. I'll arrange for someone to meet you at the airport and bring you home." Edward could just picture the man checking his crowded schedule to fit him in, somehow.

"Yes, everything's in my email. No changes." Edward wished his schedule was changing. Wished he was staying here with Jasper, Emmett, and of course Bella. Even Aro. He was gonna miss that crazy puppy.

"Alright son. I'll see you for dinner that night. We'll go out." The man cleared his throat. "Your mother will be glad to have you home."

"I'll be happy to see her too. Tell her I said so, OK?"

"Of course." With that, the phone clicked off.

Edward stuffed the phone into his backpack and shook his head. He wanted to be in a good mood when Bella got there. He looked up…and there she was. His eyes met hers and the happy grins on their faces matched.

"Good morning" she said. "What have we here?"

Edward stood, brushed the sand from his hand and took hers, pulling it up to his lips and placing a gentle kiss on her palm. "I thought we could share a little breakfast. It's not much, it's just…"

"It's perfect" she said, and stepped forward. She stood on her toes and pressed her lips to his. He returned her kiss, happy that things hadn't changed since they parted last night.

"Where's your crazy sidekick? Do I have to worry about getting knocked over again?"

Only by me, thought Edward, and inwardly smacked himself. "The puppy stayed home today. Otherwise, there was a pretty good chance you wouldn't get any donuts. Aro kind of eats everything he finds."

She laughed and sat down on the blanket. Edward took a moment to just look at her. The morning sun brought out the red highlights in her chestnut brown hair. Her faced was tinted a pale pink, probably from the time she spent in the sun yesterday. She wore a lace cover up over a dark blue bikini, and Edward shook his head to clear it. The bikini was just what he'd pictured her in, and he sat back on the blanket to keep from kissing her silly instead of eating breakfast.

They ate, drank coffee, and laughed, sharing stories about themselves and their friends. Bella ate a croissant and a donut, because, really, they were too good to leave behind. She wanted to throw the leftover pieces to the little sandpipers that flitted around them, but Edward pointed out that the seagulls would probably beat them to anything edible. After a while, Edward stood and held out his hand.

"Take a walk with me?"

Bella nodded. They silently packed up the blanket and the trash and packed it in his backpack. He tucked it over by one of the lifeguard stands and took her hand in his. They wandered down the beach, happy, and comfortable in each other's company. Finally, Bella squeezed his hand.

"Not that I'm not enjoying this, Edward, but I feel like you have something to say."

He smiled. "One day and you know me already."

"I feel like it's been much more than one day" she responded, sincerely.

"I know" he said. "I feel the same way." He pulled her close to him and gently kissed her. "I don't know what this is, but I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since I met you. There's this…"

"Connection" she replied. "I thought maybe it was just me."

"I feel it too, Bella." They started walking again. "And that's why this is going to be difficult."

She braced herself, figuring he was just going to say goodbye. Just because she was falling head over heels for him, why should she expect it to be any more than just a pleasant couple of days? Bella wasn't one of those women who lacked self-esteem, who looked to blame themselves for any relationship that didn't work out. But she seemed to be going through a string of tough luck, and she wondered if maybe she was walking around with a little dark cloud over her head.

Edward sensed that he'd said exactly the wrong thing. He didn't want her to frown. He'd grown to love her smile, the way her nose wrinkled when she looked up at him and she squinted against the bright sun. "Bella, I'm sorry, that was a pretty sucky way to start out." He put his fingers under her chin and gently lifted her head till he could gaze into her eyes. "It's just that I'm leaving the day after tomorrow, and I really don't want to go. I mean, I love it here anyway but now that I've met you?" He squeezed her hand. "I want to see where this goes."

That wasn't what she expected him to say. Even though she wanted nothing more than to spend more time with him, she was sensible enough to realize that it wasn't very practical. "Edward, we don't live anywhere near each other. We both have school to finish."

Edward felt the disappointment all the way to his toes. "You'd don't want me?"

Bella, horrified, shook her head vigorously. "No, no I do, I mean, I want to see where it goes too. I just don't know how."

Edward smirked. "Well, there's this thing called the Internet…"

"Smart aleck" she said, kicking sand at him.

LAB

Thirty-six hours later, Edward and Bella were wrapped around each other on the couch in the girls' condo. The other two couples were at the pub, leaving them some privacy before Edward flew back to Chicago in the morning. Between sweet kisses and soft touches, they shared promises to stay in touch until they could see each other again.

"Edward, it's not my business, but if you want to share with me what's got you so worried about going home, I'm here, I'll listen." Bella softly stroked his cheek. "I know there's more than just you and me."

Edward sighed and sat up. He tucked her hand in his and smiled a small, sad smile. "Thank you. I've talked to Jasper about it, but I would really like to share it with you. You might think it's silly, but…"

"But it's important to you, which makes it important to me."

"How did I find you, Bella Swan?"

"As I recall, your dog knocked me on my ass."

Just as she intended, he laughed. "Yes" he said. "That is how it happened."

"What's happening to Aro?" she asked. "You said you can't take him with you."

"I don't know what I was thinking when I got a puppy" said Edward, shaking his head. "I just wanted to have him. There's nothing like the love of a dog to make you feel wanted. But I can't take him home, not now."

"He'll be happy with Jasper. He likes the beach." She felt bad for Edward, who clearly didn't want to leave the puppy behind. She didn't want to push him, but she was curious about why he was so conflicted about going home. Even she wasn't crazy enough to think it was just about her.

"My father has some definite ideas about what I should be doing with my life." Edward was staring at the floor as he talked, his fingers tugging on the ends of his hair. "He's a lawyer, a big deal lawyer back in Chicago. It's always been his dream that I would follow him, go to law school, and join his practice. And to be fair, he's been really supportive, really done things to help me get there." He blew out a breath. "He's arranged this great internship for me after I graduate in May, and I've already got my admission to law school for the fall. Everything is going the way he planned it."

"How do you feel about that" she prompted.

"It's what I want to do, eventually" he replied. "There's just something else I want to do first."

"What, Edward?" Bella was truly curious. She half expected him to say he didn't want to be a lawyer, didn't want to follow in his father's footsteps, but that wasn't the case. "What do you want to do first?"

"I'm an athlete, Bella. I have been since I was a kid. And I've been blessed with talent that I have never taken for granted. I'm not ready to give that up."

Bella turned to face him, tucking her legs under her on the couch. She took his hand. "What kind of athlete? Why would going to law school interfere with that?" He could probably play most sports, at least sometimes, she thought, even if he was working.

Edward took a deep breath before answering. He ran his hands over his legs, the legs that she noticed the first time she saw him, that made her think he was an athlete of some kind. She realized in that moment just how muscular they were.

"I'm a speed skater, Bella. And I've been invited to train this summer and fall in Colorado Springs." He paused. "As a tryout, for the Olympics next year."

Bella couldn't process it for a minute. "That's….that's….you have to do it, of course you do."

Edward sighed. "That's the way I feel. I'm not the best, and I don't know how good my chances are of making the team. But I want it, Bella. I really want it. And I'm willing to put everything on the line to see if I can make it happen. My dad's a realist. He's always supported me and my skating, but he thinks I've reached the end of my competitive career. According to him, I won't make the Olympic team, so there's no point in delaying my future. He wants me to turn it down, to turn down the invitation to train with the National team coaches, and to do the internship and start law school." He sighed. "I've always tried to make him happy, but I can't this time. And it's going to be an awful conversation."

He wrapped his arms around her, and they just sat quietly, hugging.

"You have to do what you feel is right, Edward. What makes you…you. If the thought of giving this up makes you so unhappy, how can it be the right decision?"

"Bella, I'm amazed at how you get me. With your support, and Jasper's, I think I can face this, face him. I just hate the idea of disappointing him."

"He'll come around, Edward, don't you think?"

"I don't know, love. I just don't know." He held her close, and hoped that she was right.


	7. Chapter 7

Life's A Beach – Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks as always for the great feedback and reviews. Seems like everyone feels pretty strongly that Edward should follow his dream, including Bella. Can he convince Carlisle, or will he give in to make his dad happy?

Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

The car that picked Edward up from the airport pulled up to a strikingly beautiful house, one that made him smile despite all the turmoil in his head. Carefully, the driver maneuvered from the street to the driveway, avoiding the piles of recently plowed snow. The driveway was, of course, perfectly clear, as Edward knew it would be. He thanked the driver, grabbed his bags, and stood on the first step leading to the massive front porch. The house was big enough to be imposing, but his mother worked hard to make it comfortable and welcoming. The door flew open, and a woman with the same unique color hair nearly flew down the steps.

"Hey, mom." Edward dropped both bags and wrapped his arms around his mother. Just as it had been his whole life, her warm embrace made him feel safe and well loved.

"Edward, sweetheart. I'm so glad you're home." She stepped back and tugged on his hand. "Come inside, it's freezing out here." She held the door until he was safely inside and shut it behind him with a shiver.

"Cold doesn't bother me, mom. You know that."

"I know, and after so many years watching you skate it shouldn't bother me either, but it does." She meant to make him smile, but immediately realized her comment had the opposite effect. "What is it?"

"Dad" he said. "He doesn't even want to talk about it." Edward set his bags by the steps that led upstairs and followed his mother to the kitchen. "I did a lot of thinking while I was away."

She picked up a plate of cookies from the counter and put them on the kitchen table. "And what did you decide?" She patted his usual chair. "Sit, dear. Do you want me to make you some hot chocolate?"

"That would be great mom, thanks." Edward rested his elbows on the table and ran one hand through his hair. "I want it, mom. I've tried not to, for his sake, but I want it. If I walk away from this chance, I'll always wonder, always think about what could have been." His looked over his shoulder to the wall in the family room that held a whole gallery of pictures. Edward at age 3, balancing on wobbly skates. At age 7, holding his first medal. At age 15, at his first US Long Track Age Group Nationals. "Why can't he see that?"

Esme Cullen adored both her husband and her son, and hated to see them at odds. She was in the awful position of knowing what each one wanted, and fearing that one would end up happy, and the other would not. For whatever reason, her husband was digging in his heels on this one and fully expected her to take his side. Instead, see looked in Edward's eyes and saw that little 3 year old, eyes bright with joy as he slid across the ice on his own for the first time.

"He wants you to be happy and successful, and in his book, that means doing everything he can to launch you on a successful career." She smoothed her son's hair. "His intentions are good, he just…"

"It's one year, mom. Just one year." Edward stood and planted a kiss on her forehead. "I'm gonna unpack. What's the plan for dinner?"

"Your father is taking us out to his club. Be ready by 7?"

"No problem" said Edward. He knew the problem would come once he and his dad were in the same room. His phone chimed and he pulled it from his pocket. He couldn't help but smile. There was a picture of his beautiful Bella, in his favorite blue bikini. She'd probably kill him if she knew he'd made it his wallpaper as well as the picture that popped up when she called. He'd never been happier to get a text message.

 _Hope you made it home okay and that everything is good. The beach just isn't the same without you. – B._

He typed out a quick response.

 _Miss you so much already. – E._

 _Somebody else misses you too – B._

He laughed when she sent a picture of Aro, his coat dripping with ocean water, nose coated with sand, and a goofy dog grin on his face.

 _Give him a hug for me. Wish I was there to give you a hug myself._

"Now who is that?" Esme peered over her son's arm. "What a sweet puppy. Is he Jasper's?"

"He's mine, actually. But I left him with Jasper."

Surprised, she plucked the phone out of his hand. "He's beautiful Edward." She swiped her finger across the screen. "And who is this?"

Edward turned bright red when he realized she was looking at the bikini picture. He tried to grab the phone back but she was too quick for him. "Mom, please."

"Who is she Edward? I'm your mother. You need to tell me." The grin on her face told him she was teasing, despite the stern tone.

"Her name is Isabella. Bella. I met her in Hilton Head. And she's….she's special to me." He wasn't sure he could say anything more than that, not after just a few days. But the way his breath caught whenever he saw her, the way his heart felt when he thought about her, well, he knew he was falling hard and fast. But that didn't mean he was going to tell all that to his mother. And he certainly wasn't going to tell her the way he felt about that blue bikini.

Esme Cullen was nobody's fool, and she knew that no one had ever put a look like that on Edward's face before. She was more than just special. "Then you've only known her a few weeks."

Edward grabbed another cookie, just for something to distract him. "Actually, I've only known her for 4 days." Four of the best days of his life. "But Mom, it was….I don't even know if I can explain it. I just knew. Right away."

"And this girl, Bella. How does she feel?" Like any mother, Esme wanted her son's heart to be safe and protected.

"She feels the same." He remembered those last kisses at the airport. "She lives in New Jersey, so it's going to be a challenge, but I want to make this work. We want to make this work."

"Then you'll find a way." She reached over and ruffled his already messy hair. "That's what love does, Edward." He couldn't help but realize that she didn't say anything about the short time he'd known Bella.

Bella walked back into Jasper's Pub and took a seat at the bar between Rosalie and Alice.

"What can I getcha, girlfriend?" Emmett leaned over the bar and winked at her.

Rose smacked his arm. "Who you calling girlfriend?"

"Aww Rose, I'm just trying to cheer Miss Bella up" he said with a grin. "You know I only love you." He froze when he realized what he'd just said.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we're having a moment over here" chortled Jasper at the look on his friend's face. "Emmett has gone and confessed his love for Miss Rosalie."

"But…I…I didn't…."

"Don't you dare take it back now, you big lug" said Rosalie, arms folded across her chest. "Or you won't be fixing anybody drinks for a long, long time."

Bella had to laugh at the fierce look on Rose's face and the terrified look on Emmett's. "Just a beer, please Emmett."

He pushed a frosty glass across the bar and leaned over to kiss Rosalie. "Guess you're stuck with me now, babe."

Alice clinked her glass to Bella's. "How are you? Where did you disappear to?"

"I'm ok. I just miss Edward" answered Bella. "I wanted to text him and make sure he got home okay." She took a long draw of her drink. "How can I miss him this much when I've only known him for less than a week?"

Alice cast a sideways look at Jasper and smiled. "Sometimes you just know. The heart wants what the heart wants, and all that."

"Let's just hope his heart and mine want the same thing" Bella said.

"I don't think that's gonna be a problem" Alice responded, grinning. "I know things, you know."

Bella looked at her phone, where a picture of a smiling Edward filled the screen. "Yeah, I know."

Edward escorted his mother into the restaurant and held her chair as she sat at the reserved table. "Where is he?"

"He'll be here, Edward." Esme looked at her watch. "We're a few minutes early."

Edward sat next to her and fidgeted in his seat. He picked up each piece of silverware, folded and unfolded his napkin, and checked his phone.

"Edward" said his mother, stilling his nervous hands. "He's your father. He loves you. You may not see eye to eye on this, but at the end of the day you'll find a way to resolve it."

"Hello Edward." A familiar voice got his attention. Carlisle Cullen leaned down to kiss his wife's cheek. He went to embrace Edward, thought better of it, and held out his hand for an awkward handshake. "It's good to see you, son."

"It's good to see you too, dad." Edward took in his father's carefully tailored suit, expensive watch, gold cufflinks. His father was the picture of poise and well-earned success. Edward couldn't help but picture him the way he used to love best – in sweats, a backward baseball cap on his head, cheering Edward on as he circled the ice. "Dad, can we talk about…."

His father interrupted him. "Edward, can we just have a pleasant welcome home dinner without arguing? We'll talk tomorrow."

"Promise?"

"Yes, of course."

"Okay" said Edward. He just wanted to get this conversation out of the way, but one more night wasn't going to make a difference. He picked up his menu and calculated how long it would be until they were done, and he could call Bella from the safety of his room. With two fingers, he rubbed his chest, trying to ease the ache in his heart. She would know what to say to make him feel alright.

Dinner was actually quite pleasant, to Edward's surprise. His mother took the lead in the conversation, asking him about Jasper, the pub, Emmett. His father chimed in from time to time, and they were all in a good mood by the time they returned home. After saying goodnight, Edward made his way upstairs. As soon as his door was shut, he dialed Bella's number.

"Hello, Edward?"

"Bella." He felt all the air leave his chest. Hearing her say his name took away all the pressure he'd been feeling. "I miss you."

"I miss you too" she said, and he thought he heard tears in her voice. "I don't understand how I can miss you so much after just a few days, but I feel like I've known you forever. I'm sorry if that sounds silly."

"It's not silly at all" he replied. "I feel the same way." He tried to lighten the mood. "How many people did Aro knock over today?"

She laughed as he hoped she would. "Only me, as usual. I took him for a walk on the beach and he managed to trip me. Twice."

He laughed, and all was good again. When they finally said their goodnights, she got serious again for a moment.

"Edward, when you talk to your dad tomorrow, just know that we are all behind you. Me, Alice, Rose, Jasper, and Emmett. Especially me."

"Thanks, sweetheart. Can I call you tomorrow?"

"I'll be disappointed if you don't. Goodnight, Edward."

"I'll talk to you tomorrow, Bella. Goodnight." He almost added an "I love you" to the end of the call, but this wasn't the way he wanted to tell her. He'd do it in person, and soon. No matter what direction he life was about to take, he felt at peace knowing she'd be in it.


	8. Chapter 8

Life's A Beach

Chapter 8

A/N – Thanks for sticking with this despite my somewhat crazy posting schedule. This week is the end of the semester, so it should be a bit easier to keep up with this! As always, all things Twilight belong to Ms. Meyer.

The sun peeked its earliest rays over the horizon, turning the sky from the blue-grey of night to a mixture of pale blue, white and gold. As its rays spread across the surface of the ocean, the small swells seemed to glow with the morning light. On the slightly chilly beach, just starting to warm for the day, Bella sat with her arms wrapped around her knees watching the sunrise and sending every positive thought she could muster north to Chicago. She had two more days on her beloved Hilton Head Island before heading back to New Jersey, the cold, and her final semester of college. Instead of partying or even just relaxing, all she could think about was the beautiful bronze haired boy so very far away. Unable to sleep, she had made her way to the beach earlier than usual this morning. The ocean always amazed her. So powerful, its waves pushing into the shore but so gentle, depositing the tiniest of seashells undamaged on the beach. It was the same way she felt about this love, so new, but so powerful. Strong enough to make her rethink everything she thought she knew about her future and gentle enough to make her skin feel warm at the memory of his touch.

"Miss Bella" said a voice, and she looked up to see Jasper and Aro approaching. Bella threw her arms over her head as Aro, of course, knocked her over into the sand and shook ocean water all over her. Jasper laughed, making no attempt to call off the enthusiastic puppy. "Sorry to disturb your thoughts."

"You are not sorry and don't even try to pretend that you are" she said, wrestling the puppy to sit in the sand next to her.

"Mind if I join you?"

Bella patted the sand next to her. "You're more than welcome, though I'm not sure I'll be the best company. Are you sure you wouldn't rather go wake Alice up? I'll warn you, she can be all kinds of grouchy when she first wakes up."

Jasper laughed. "I found that out the other morning." His eyes went wide as he realized what he just said.

"Jasper Whitlock, have you been sneaking around with my best friend?" Bella teased.

He blushed uncharacteristically. "Guilty as charged, ma'am." He settled next to her. "I don't know what it is about you northern beauties, but you've managed to charm the three of us right off our feet."

"It's mutual" she said. "Jasper, I'm worried about Edward. What do you think is going to happen?"

Jasper ran a hand through his hair. He stared out at the water and watched the sun as it continued to climb in the sky. "For most other guys, this would be an easy decision. Follow your dream, that's the easy answer. But family has always been important to Edward, more important than skating, more important than anything."

"What happened with his dad? He said they were close, that he could talk to his dad about anything."

Jasper nodded in agreement. "Always. Don't misunderstand, Uncle Carlisle was always successful, driven, always wanted the best for Aunt Esme and Edward. He worked hard to give them a good life and a good home, and that meant a lot of hours at the office. But he loved them, no doubt about it. He was so excited for Edward, was always there when he skated no matter what. Something changed though, once Edward was in college. Suddenly, it was all about Edward going to law school, and nothing else seemed to matter."

"But Edward still skated?" Bella rubbed Aro's ears and the puppy laid his head in her lap.

Jasper smiled at the way the dog adopted Bella the same way as he'd adopted Edward. Dogs always knew who loved them, he thought. "He did, even though he had to balance school and skating. But he made it work and just kept moving up the ranks. It makes him happy, but I don't know if he thought he'd ever have this kind of chance. The Olympics, I mean. I'd hate to see him pass it up."

Bella dug her toes in the sand. "I just want him to be happy and I wish he didn't have to choose. Is that a bad thing?"

Jasper gave her hand a squeeze. "No, darlin', it's the best thing you could want for him right now." He stood, brushed the sand from his shorts. "C'mon Aro, let's go pay a visit to Miss Alice."

Bella drew her knees up again. The sunrise comforted her, and so did Jasper's words. Her parents had always been supportive of her, too, and she couldn't imagine defying them in any way. Even though her mom was gone, Bella always felt like she was still there for her, helping her find her way. "I love him, mom" she whispered. "I wish you were here, and could tell me how to help him."

In Chicago, Edward woke up, stretched, and reached for his phone. He grinned when he saw the selfie Bella had sent early this morning. Her hair was tangled and draped over one shoulder, as if the breeze had blown it to the side. The ocean and the rising sun were in the background. His heart clutched as he read the words she'd written. "It's a new day, and I'm thinking of you." Once again, he wanted to reply by declaring his feelings, but he'd decided that should – and would – happen in person. He wasn't sure when, but he'd make it soon. In a few more days she would be back at school, he knew. Either way, it wasn't Chicago. He'd have to go to her, so it didn't matter where she was. He knew he'd go anywhere to see her again.

He dragged himself out of bed and showered. He had a meeting with his father at the law office at 10 AM. Edward frowned at the idea that what he considered a family discussion would take place at the office. Obviously, his father was looking at this as a business decision, not a personal one. Out of deference to his father and his partners, Edward dressed in grey wool pants, a navy blazer, white shirt and a conservative tie. If he was going into the lion's den, he might as well look the part.

Edward smiled when he reached the kitchen and saw that his mother had prepared breakfast for him. He walked up behind her and kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks, Mom. You didn't have to do that."

"Let me spoil my boy for a while, won't you? Who knows how often I'll get the chance over the next few months, between the time you'll be spending in class and studying and the time you'll spend…."

"Don't say it" Edward frowned, knowing that the next word out of her mouth would be "skating." He took a seat at the table and helped himself to fresh fruit, eggs, and toast. They talked about school and what he'd be taking his final semester. Finally, he sat back, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and sighed.

"What do I do this morning, Mom? You know him better than anyone. What do I say?" Edward looked at her with the sad eyes of a little boy, and it nearly broke her heart. "I don't understand him, and he can't understand me. How did we get here, and how do we get back? I love you both so much…."

Esme stood, walked to the counter, and picked up something from a pile of papers. She slid it across the table to Edward, and he saw it was a photograph. It was a speed skater, a man, in the pose that Edward knew so well, one that was as natural to him as standing. One toe up at the start, the other leg poised to push off. The picture was taken from behind the skater, so he couldn't see the face. He didn't remember ever seeing it before, but could think of only one reason why his mother would have it. "Is this me?"

"No, Edward." She ran her finger over the edge of the picture. "It's your father."

Edward was completely floored. Sure, his father had taught him to skate, took him to speed skating practice and events, got him into the sport. Obviously his dad knew technique, helped him practice, but Edward had developed quickly and Carlisle turned him over to a coach by the time he was 7 or 8. He never, not once, mentioned that he'd been a competitive speed skater himself, but this picture was the evidence. In the background, Edward could see crowds of people. This was no little event. "What? How…" He gathered himself. "Dad was a competitive skater? Why didn't he tell me? Why didn't you tell me?"

"It was before I knew him" Esme replied "and he never said much about it. But he was thrilled when you started skating, so it must have been important to him. Take the picture with you, Edward. You'll know how best to use it." She got up and started washing dishes.

"Thanks, Mom" Edward said, and tucked the picture in his jacket before heading out.

Bella made her way back to the house as the beach began to fill with early morning walkers and a few sunbathers. She opened the door and found Alice and Jasper sitting at the table. Aro lay under the table, having apparently been hosed off to remove the sand and salt before coming in the house. "Well, well, well" she said. "If it isn't the sneaky couple."

Alice gave her a puzzled look. Jasper took her hand. "I may have spilled the beans about knowing how grouchy you are when you first wake up." Alice just laughed. "That's nothing" she said. "Edward and Bella…."

"That's enough out of you" Bella cut her off.

"Let's just say they aren't quiet when they wake up" Alice said with a smirk.

"I'll add snitch to your long list of qualities" sniffed Bella.

"You know you love me" retorted Alice.

"I do, don't I" said Bella.

"And so do I" said Jasper, obviously amused at their conversation.

Alice whipped around to look at him, while Bella started to laugh. "Ladies and gentlemen" she said, copying Jasper's tone at the bar when he called Emmett out "I believe we have a declaration of love for Miss Alice."

"Alice, I…." Jasper stammered, as red as Emmett had been when he inadvertently admitted his love for Rose.

"Did you mean it?" Alice demanded.

He sat with his mouth open for a second or two, then seemed to collect himself. "Yes" he said. "Yes I did."

Alice jumped in his lap and kissed him like he was the last man on earth.

Bella threw her hands over her head and grinned at her friends. "My work here is done." She grabbed her phone and trotted up the steps to her room. When she got there, she checked her messages and was delighted to see Edward's response to her picture.

The picture he sent back made it clear that he had just woken up. His hair was messy, messier than usual and his eyes still had a sleepy look that she found incredibly sexy. She read his message.

" _I wish I was waking up next to you."_

Someday, she thought. Someday.


	9. Chapter 9

Life's A Beach

Chapter 9

A/N – Thanks for the nice words about the last chapter! Sweet moments are the best, aren't they? This is the big meeting with Dad – let's see how Edward handles it.

Edward stood in front of the building housing his father's downtown office. Even though it was January in notoriously cold and windy Chicago, the sun was out and he felt warmed by the reflection coming off the window. He slid a hand into his jacket, checking to see that the mysterious picture his mother slipped him this morning was still there. Edward wasn't at all sure what he would do with it, but he sensed it would be a turning point – one way or the other. With a deep sigh, he made his way into the building and stepped onto the elevator.

Heidi, his father's secretary and a general pain in Edward's ass, stood when he walked across the floor. "Edward" she purred "your father said you'd be stopping by this morning." He tucked his hands in his pockets, avoiding the hug he was sure she was angling for. Heidi was a beautiful woman, and not that much older than Edward, but she always made him feel like she was hunting and he was the prey. No thank you, he thought. Heidi seemed to realize she had no excuse to touch him, and sat on the front of her desk instead. Edward couldn't understand why his father kept such an obvious flirt around. He found her over the top attention annoying, but maybe it was just one more thing he and his father didn't agree on.

"Hi Heidi" he pulled at his tie and ran a quick hand through his hair. "Is he ready to see me or do I have a few minutes?"

She checked the clock on her desk. "It's time" she said "but I'm sure I could get you an extra few minutes before you go in. If you needed anything." Her tone was unmistakable.

"Just a coffee, please, if you have some made. I really don't want to keep him waiting." Edward followed her into the little kitchen and took the cup she handed him. He quickly stepped back out of her way and she frowned. "Thanks. I guess I'm ready now."

Heidi made her way to the imposing closed door located behind her desk. "Good luck, Edward." Her look softened, and Edward wondered how much she knew about what he was in for. He gave her a small smile, and opened the door.

Bella was the picture of annoyance as she stood in the security line at Savannah Airport. It wasn't really that she was upset with her two best friends, but she couldn't stand there and watch them kiss their new boyfriends goodbye when she couldn't be anywhere near hers. She checked the time on her phone for about the thousandth time this morning. Edward would be meeting with his father soon, and she'd be on a plane for almost three hours, completely unreachable. She reached the front of the line and held out her ID and boarding pass for the TSA officer. She turned and gave Alice and Rose the best evil eye she could muster.

"Since I don't have anyone here to kiss, I'm going through security. Bye Jasper. Bye Emmett. I'll see you two at the gate." When she turned back, the normally stoic agent appeared to be biting his lip so he wouldn't laugh. He stamped her boarding pass and handed it back to her.

"Here you are. Since I can't kiss you, I'll just say have a nice flight." He gave her a quick smile then schooled his features back to normal. "Next" he called.

Bella was grateful for the laugh he gave her. She made her way to the gate. Hesitating only a second, she sent Edward a quick text. _Whatever happens, I'll be here for you._ She tucked the phone in her backpack and waited for the girls to join her. Hopefully they'd get there before the plane took off. She sank into her chair and thought up ways to make them think she was really angry. Hey, she needed to have some fun too, and what better way than to at least partially terrify her best friends?

Edward stopped in the doorway and took a moment to study the man standing across the oversized office. Carlisle Cullen looked like the successful well-to-do attorney he'd become. The walls of his office were lined with awards from state, local, and national organizations recognizing his contributions to the field. One wall was completely lined with bookcases, filled with legal tomes. His father turned slowly and moved toward his son. He held out his hand. Edward shook it, wondering when he'd gotten old enough that his father no longer greeted him with a hug. Around the time they started disagreeing, he thought.

"Edward, I'm glad you're here." Carlisle motioned for him to sit on the plush sofa and settled himself in one of his leather armchairs.

"Are you, dad?"

Carlisle appeared caught off guard. "Of course. We have a lot to talk about, plans for next year."

"Dad…"

"Edward, I'm not going to entertain any conversation about alternatives. It's time you got on board with this plan. It's your future we're talking about here."

"And one year is going to make that much difference?" Edward tried to calm himself.

"Yes, if you pass up these opportunities. You know that everything depends on timing. Who has an internship, who needs someone to clerk for them. Screw up that timing, and you may miss the best opportunity of your life."

Edward leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "What if that's not the opportunity I want? What if the Olympics is the opportunity of my life?"

Carlisle snapped to attention. "You need to let this go, Edward. You are an adult, you need to understand the difference between a hobby and a career."

"A hobby? That's what you think this is?" Edward stood and paced. "You know how hard I've worked for this. You have always supported me. What changed?"

"Nothing changed" said his father calmly. "It's just time for you to move on with your life and accept some responsibility for your career."

"I'm sorry, Dad. I've never crossed you before. I love you, and I respect you, more than you know. But you're wrong on this. And I need to follow my heart." Edward stopped, faced his father. "I will skate. With or without your blessing, but I hope it's with."

"It won't be." His father was truly angry. "Don't throw this all away, Edward."

Edward swallowed hard. He didn't want to hurt his father but it was impossible to avoid. They'd both dug in their heels. Edward remembered what Jasper had told him about making his own way. He'd have Jasper, and Emmett, and most important he'd have Bella to support him. But if he had to do this without his father's support he was sure as hell going to know why.

Edward sat, so that he could look into his father's eyes. "What happened to you?"

Carlisle was taken aback. "I have no idea what you mean."

Edward hesitated, then ever so slowly reached into his jacket and pulled out the picture. He slid it across the table and sat back, waiting.

His father's blue eyes widened as he picked up the picture and held it up. For a second, Edward thought his father was going to throw it back at him. Instead, he set it back on the table. "You know who this is?"

He nodded. "I know that it's you. You were a skater. A good one, from the looks of it."

"I was" said Carlisle. "Not as good as you, but good. This picture, this was my last national competition."

"What happened?" Edward inched forward.

Carlisle gave a bitter laugh. "About 5 minutes after this picture was taken, I suffered what's commonly known as a career ending injury. It was bad, but you know the worst part? All of a sudden my entire life changed. My purpose, my reason for being. Gone. Because of one-sixteenth of an inch of my skate. Or maybe it was a rut in the ice. I'll never know. But even before the surgery I knew I would never be able to skate like that again."

Edward dropped his head. That fear always lurked somewhere.

"I had no career, no back up plan. I was…lost. I wasn't going to let that happen to you, Edward. I made sure you had the best education, the best opportunities. You would never find yourself the way I did, with nothing and no one." His faced was flushed, the emotion leaking through.

"What did you do? After, I mean."

"I started over" his father whispered. "Went back to college, went to law school. Met your mother." That brought a smile. "It took a long, long time to build up the practice I have now, to be able to give you and your mother everything I wanted for you. I could have started so much sooner. I wasted so much time."

They sat silently. Finally, Edward spoke. "But you did it, Dad. You may have lost one opportunity, but you made another. And so what if it took longer. You didn't lose out. You made your way. You met the love of your life and made a wonderful life for me." Edward sniffled and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "If I miss one opportunity, I'll make another. I'm your son, and I'm stubborn, just like you."

That got a chuckle out of his father.

"I can't help but think" he said "that if I'd kept skating I might never have met your mother. Would we have found each other? Would she have loved me the same way if I was struggling to support myself?"

Edward reached out, tentatively, and took his father's hand. "You know she would have. You two were meant to be. And you know as well as I do that she would have loved you no matter whether you were an up and coming lawyer, or selling hot dogs from a cart. And Dad, I've found someone. I think….no, I know, that she's the one."

Carlisle started to interrupt, but Edward stopped him. "We haven't known each other very long, but I've never felt anything like it. It was like we were meant to find each other, even if it took my dog knocking her over on the beach."

"You have a dog?"

Edward laughed. "That's what you got out of my teary confession?" After a few minutes he spoke again. "Bella is it for me, dad. I know it. And she'll support me no matter what I do." He held up his phone and showed his dad the text message Bella sent as she was getting on the plane. "So you see, I can't lose, dad. No matter what happens, I'll have my Bella."

A single tear ran down Carlisle's face. "I'm sorry, son. I was so caught up in wanting this life for you, that I forgot about the life you already have."

"Just say you'll support me, dad. That's all I want. It's all I need."

Without another word, the two men stood and embraced. Edward tried to blink back his tears, but they fell anyway. He felt that same safe, wonderful feeling that he'd felt growing up, knowing his dad was there for him, had his back. Loved him.

They took a step back. Carlisle grinned at his son. "You will bring this girl home to meet your mother and I, right?"

"Of course, dad. As soon as I can arrange it."

Bella spent the first hour of the plane ride not speaking to Alice and Rose. Actually, she completely understood, but it was way too much fun to watch them squirm.

"C'mon Bella" whined Alice. "We're sorry. We weren't trying to rub it in. We know you miss Edward."

Bella couldn't help but laugh. A long, noisy, snort because you are laughing too hard laugh.

"You bitch" said Rose. "You're not really mad at us, are you?"

"If I could open that window, I'd throw you off this plane" said Alice, pouting at having been fooled by her best friend.

Rose smacked her. "If you could open the window on the plane, we'd all be sucked out into space and torn into tiny pieces."

Bella wasn't about to apologize, but she did owe them an explanation. "It's just that today's a really important day for Edward. He's confronting his dad, or his dad's confronting him I guess, and I just want to be there for him."

"It'll work out, sweetie" said Rose.

"I know it will, but I want so much for him to be happy."

"That's what we all want for our guys" said Alice "now that we've found them."

"Best vacation ever" said Bella.

"You said it, sister" answered Rose, and they settled in for the rest of the flight.

As soon as the plane hit the ground, Bella whipped out her phone and turned it on. She took a deep breath waiting for it to wake up. When she got to the message app, her heart soared. Written there she saw his message.

 _All is good, long story, but dad and I are okay. Olympics, here we come! With you by my side, of course. Yours, Edward._


	10. Chapter 10

**Life's a Beach**

 **Chapter 10**

 **A/N – Chapters 9 and 10 have posted! I have to admit I was really concerned when no one read the chapter I posted last week, then I found out FFN wasn't sending out story alerts. A few loyal readers found it anyway (thank you!). So if you haven't read chapter 9, please go back and read that first.**

 **As always, everything belongs to Ms. Meyer. And Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!**

Bella sighed with relief when she got off the plane and saw the text message from Edward.

 _All is good, long story, but dad and I are okay. Olympics, here we come! With you by my side, of course. Yours, Edward._

Alice jumped on her back and Bella let out a shriek that had everyone in the terminal turning around.

"Jeez, Alice, scare me much?"

Rosalie took control of the situation. She put a hand on her amazingly curvy hip and used her best no nonsense voice. "Move along, nothing to see here people. That means you too, idiot with the pink luggage." She ignored the fact that the poor guy with the dreadfully pink luggage was nearly drooling at the sight of her. She pointed one highly polished nail at him and he slunk away, bags in tow.

Alice gave Bella a sheepish smile. "Sorry, Bella, I just wanted to know what happened. From the grin on your face, its good news?

"The best news" she replied, turning her phone so the girls could see it. "I can't wait to find out what happened, but I'm just so happy for him."

Rosalie smirked. "Look at our little Bella, dating an Olympic athlete. Who would have seen that coming?"

"He's not in the Olympics yet, Rose" Bella replied, scared to say or do anything that might jinx it for him. She tried really hard not to be superstitious, but it was just part of who she was. "But he's got the chance, and that's what matters."

"So what happens now?" Alice was the first to reach baggage claim and grabbed her suitcase.

"You" said Rose.

"Me ? Me what?" Alice reached for Bella's bag.

"You should have a pink suitcase, not that bozo who was staring at Bella."

"I really should, shouldn't I?" Alice grinned. "I'll have to get one before I fly back to South Carolina." She clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oooops!" She grabbed her suitcase and took off for the door.

Bella was having none of it. "Mary Alice Brandon, get back here this minute and tell us what you and Jasper have planned."

"Yeah" said Rose. "Did you think you were sneaking back there without us?"

Alice frowned. "No, I figured you'd be visiting Emmett. But Bella will be headed to Chicago, right Bells?"

Bella grabbed her bag and pulled it toward the door. "I don't know. I guess so. It definitely what I want." She grinned. "Good things we only have one semester left, huh?"

"Absolutely" said Rosalie. "I may want Emmett, but I am not transferring schools. He can wait till graduation and then we'll decide if I'm moving in."

Bella kicked Rose's suitcase. "Move it or lose it, Rose. I have a phone call to make." All three girls laughed as they headed outside to take the airport monorail to the train and then head back to school.

LaB

Edward wasted no time notifying the national committee that he would be there for the next training session. Fortunately, the schedule would allow him to stay in Chicago to train and finish school this semester, though he'd have a few competitions between now and the end of the year. Nationals and the Olympic trials wouldn't be till the end of the year. He started packing to head back to school while he waited for Bella to call. At least he hoped she would call when she got back to school.

When he was done, he hefted his bag on his shoulder, trotted down the steps, and deposited it by the front door. Edward followed the smell of fresh baked cookies to the kitchen. "Hey, Mom."

"Hi sweetie" Esme replied with a smile. She held out a plate of cookies. "I made some cookies for you to take back to school."

He leaned in and kissed her cheek before picking up two of the warm cookies. "Thanks, Mom. Have you talked to Dad since I got back?"

"I did" she said "and I can't tell you how relieved I am that you two worked everything out. I love you both, and the tension has been driving me crazy. I'm so happy to have both my guys on the same page again." She got out a container from the pantry and started stacking the cookies inside. "Now, we need to have a talk about when you're bringing Bella home so we can meet her."

Edward couldn't help the grin on his face when he thought about seeing Bella. He wanted to bring her home, introduce her to his mom and dad, show her Chicago. He'd take her back to school if she could stay for a couple of days so he could show her where he skated. And his room. He wanted to show her his room. He was never so happy that he didn't have a roommate.

"I'm waiting for her to call. Her flight landed about an hour ago, but she's gonna call when she gets back to her dorm." Edward checked his watch again. "I promise I'll talk to her about coming out here."

"Good thing" said his mom. "I want to meet the girl that put that look on your face. Anyone who can make my boy that happy….well, I want to meet her."

"You'll love her, mom. I guarantee it."

Edward gave his mom a warm hug, took the cookies, and headed for the car. Forty minutes later, he unlocked the door to his dorm room and dumped his stuff on the bed. He checked his phone to make sure he didn't miss a call. Unable to help himself, he fired off a quick text.

 _Can't wait to talk to you._

When she didn't answer, Edward felt just a flutter of nerves. As he unpacked, he let his imagination run, and he didn't like where it went. Maybe, he thought, she wouldn't feel the same way once she got back to school. Maybe all three girls would chalk it all up to a vacation fling. Maybe he should call Jasper or Emmett. Maybe he should call both of them. No, he thought. He knew Bella felt the same way he did. He would wait till she called. He'd have faith in what they had, and wait for her to call.

Two hours later, he was still waiting. Just when he was about to give in and call Jasper, his phone rang with an unfamiliar number. Edward really didn't want to answer it and tie up his phone. It stopped ringing, and buzzed with a text message, quickly followed by two more.

 _Please pick up, it's me using Alice's phone._

 _It's me Bella._

 _Please pick up._

Edward didn't wait for her to call again. He hit the redial button and held his breath until he heard the voice he'd waited all day to hear.

"Edward? It's Bella, I lost my phone." Bella sounded beyond frustrated. "I had to go all the way back to the airport to look for it, but we couldn't find it. I finally gave up and just used Alice's phone. Were you worried? I'm so sorry."

"Slow down, sweet girl. I was a little worried, but I knew you'd call." Edward sat on his bed and propped himself up on his pillows. He took a deep breath. "I miss you already."

"I miss you too" she answered. "Tell me what happened with your dad. I'm so excited for you."

Edward went through the whole story, including the mysterious picture and the story behind it. "So it turns out he thought he was protecting me from what happened to him, but I made him see how much I wanted this. And I showed him your text."

"My text?"

Edward hoped she would understand what he was about to say. "I told him that no matter what happened, Olympics or not, win or lose, I knew I'd have you. And because of that, I'd be okay. More than okay, actually."

He heard her sniffle and hoped she wasn't upset. "Bella? Are you alright? I'm not trying to pressure you into anything."

Bella wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm fine, Edward. I feel the same way about you. I want to be there for you, no matter what."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. That's good." He grinned. "Actually, that's great."

They spoke about her flight, the unsuccessful search for her phone, and getting back to school. She told him that Alice and Rosalie already had a trip planned to Hilton Head to see Jasper and Emmett.

"I can't believe how this all worked out, can you?"

"No, it's amazing. And actually" said Edward "I wanted to talk to you about that. I really want to you to come to Chicago, as soon as you can. Before we both get busy with classes and stuff. My mom and dad want to meet you."

Bella squeaked. "Your parents? You want me to meet your parents?"

"I do, sweetheart. But mostly I just want to see you. Did I mention that I have a single room this semester?"

"I think you might have mentioned it, but maybe I need to see it for myself." Bella felt her heart beating more rapidly. "You know, just to be sure."

"Can you come next weekend?" Edward held his breath waiting for her reply. Even that wouldn't be soon enough.

Bella checked her class schedule. "I don't have any classes on Friday, so I can leave anytime after 4:00 on Thursday."

"I'll book a ticket for you and let you know. When do you have to be back?" Edward started looking up flights on his laptop.

"I have an 8:00 class Monday morning, so I have to be back Sunday night." That gave them three days and two nights, thought Bella. "Are you sure you're ready to have me meet your parents?"

"Absolutely. And I want to meet your dad, whenever we can arrange it."

Bella laughed. "Yeah, I want to see that. Charlie is….interesting." She yawned, loud and long. "Oops, sorry."

"You're tired" he responded. "I should let you get some rest. I'll call you tomorrow, okay? And email you the flight information."

She pouted, but he was right. She was going to crash any minute. "As long as you promise to call tomorrow. Goodnight Edward. I, um, I miss you already."

Edward wanted to tell her he more than missed her. He wanted to tell her he was crazy, head over heels in love with her. But that could wait till he could see her, till he could hold her again. "I miss you too, sweetheart. Talk to you tomorrow."

They each ended the call, and went to bed thinking about the weekend ahead.

Bella climbed into bed, only to have the door to her room fly open as Alice and Rose ran in and jumped on the bed.

"Tell us, tell us, tell us" said Alice. "And give me back my damn phone."

"I'm flying out there this weekend." Bella answered. "To meet the parents!"

"Are you serious? Already?" Rosalie gaped at her. Then she thought for a moment. "You're staying with his parents?"

"Oh no" Bella said. "I'm staying on campus with him."

"Well, thank goodness for that" answered Alice. "Now tomorrow, we have to get you a phone. And clothes. And some slinky…"

Bella interrupted. "I don't even want to hear what you are thinking. I'm a little overwhelmed right now. Can we have this conversation in the light of day?"

"Absolutely" said Rosalie. "Meeting the parents. I'm going to go call Emmett. He better step up his game."


	11. Chapter 11

**Life's A Beach**

 **Chapter 11**

 **A/N: It's a chilly and rainy Memorial Day here in NJ – hopefully there are sunny and warm days to come. Welcome to the unofficial start of summer!**

Bella rolled over on her back, stretched her arms and legs, and wiggled her toes. She looked at the clock on her dresser, pleased to see that she'd gotten a full 10 hours of sleep. No wonder she felt so rested. Last night she fell asleep two minutes after finally chasing Alice and Rosalie out of her room. She loved her friends, and was grateful that Alice handed over her phone with no questions asked, but all she could tell them about her trip to Chicago was that Edward promised to send the ticket information in the morning. She shared the little bit of information she could with her friends, and yes, told them she was thrilled but nervous, maybe even terrified to meet his parents, but that was it. She certainly wasn't going to tell them that she knew, beyond a doubt, that she was head over heels in love with Edward. He deserved to hear it before anyone else.

It wasn't like her, she thought, to fall so quickly. She'd had a few boyfriends, never anything serious or long-lasting. So how was it that little more than a week after she met Edward, she was flying off to meet his parents and maybe, if she was brave enough, to tell him that she loved him. Bella didn't know whether that meant it was fate that brought them together, but she'd take it. Maybe, she thought, her mother had pointed Aro in her direction.

"Thanks, mom" she whispered. Just the thought of her heavenly interference made Bella smile.

She reached for her phone to see if there was any word from Edward, though she knew Chicago was an hour behind New Jersey. Chances are he wasn't even awake. Bella panicked for a second when she couldn't find her phone, till she remembered that she'd lost it somewhere between the plane and the car. She'd make one more call to the airport lost and found, and if they didn't have it, she'd make replacing the phone a priority for today. With a groan she climbed out of bed and headed for her laptop.

The first three emails were junk, and the fourth was from her on-campus job in the bookstore. She'd read that one later. She kept scrolling and suddenly, there was the name she was looking for. Edward had apparently sent her an email at 2:24AM. Guess she wasn't the only one who was anxious about her travel arrangements. Bella pulled the laptop closer and clicked on the email.

 _Hey beautiful,_

 _I miss you even more after hearing your voice tonight. Anyway, I couldn't sleep until I got your tickets for the weekend. A little bit of bad news – everything Thursday night was booked so we will have to wait till Friday to see each other again, but I got you on the first flight out of Newark. Hope it's okay – you'll have to be at the airport really early but I couldn't bear the thought of losing out on any more time with you. Anyway, you'll be here about mid-morning and I'll pick you up at the airport. Looking forward to introducing you to some Chicago style pizza! Anyway, I'm counting the hours. Till then, sweetheart._

 _Yours,_

 _Edward_

Bella frowned when she realized she wouldn't get to see him till Friday. How early was her flight? She skimmed the flight info. 8:30AM wasn't too bad, but she'd have to leave really early to get to the airport on time. That was a small price to pay for seeing her sweet boy.

 _Hi Edward,_

 _I can't believe you stayed up so late to make these reservations but I'm really excited. Yes, I'm a little disappointed that we have to wait an extra day, but we'll just have to make up for lost time once I get there. I don't know how Chicago pizza will compare to New Jersey pizza, but I'll definitely give it a try. Can't wait to see you. Talk to you soon._

 _Yours,_

 _Bella_

With a sigh, she put the laptop back on her desk and got dressed. As she grabbed her keys and headed out, she realized she hadn't opened the email from her job. She made a mental note to check it as soon as she got back.

L a B

Edward groaned when his alarm went off. He'd stayed up late trying every way he could think of to get Bella a Thursday night flight but Friday morning was the best he could do. By the time he finished, sent off an email with the details and got in bed, it was almost 3 in the morning. That didn't change the fact that he had to meet with his coach at 9:30. At least he wasn't skating this morning. They'd be setting up a schedule and mapping out the competitions leading up to the Olympic training camp. He felt an incredible sense of relief knowing that the arguments with his father were over. Only now that everything was resolved would he admit how much it had affected him and impacted his skating. Edward was very organized when it came to his school work and his skating. It was the only way he could balance the pressure of a heavy pre-law course load and hours of practice each day.

He couldn't wait to introduce Bella to speed skating, as an observer and hopefully a fan. She explained exactly how clumsy she could be and declined his offer to teach her how to skate. That was okay with him, as long as she was there to cheer him on. He could picture it, Bella sitting in the stands with his mom and dad, cheering for him. With her there, he knew he could accomplish anything. Edward was motivated to make the Olympic team before he met Bella. He'd always been competitive and very driven. But the thought of skating for his country, with the girl he loved – yes, loved – there to support him? It just didn't get any better. First steps first, though. He slipped on a warm up suit, grabbed some juice from his mini-fridge, and headed out.

Edward checked his phone and was pleased to see Bella's response. He shot off a quick note to his mom telling her that dinner Friday night was a "go." He couldn't wait to introduce them.

L a B

Jasper almost had a heart attack when he heard a loud crash accompanied by the sound of bottles clinking together.

"Gees, Emmett, can you take a little more care with the merchandise?" Jasper stomped over to the bar where Emmett had all but dropped a case of beer.

"Sorry" Emmett said. "I was just remembering what Rosie said when I talked to her last night. Did you know that she can…"

"I don't want to hear it" said Jasper, covering his ears. "How many times have you talked to her since they left?"

"Um, every night, so far. See, I call her once I'm in bed and…."

"I don't want to hear it" said Jasper again. "Now go get the other cases before I smack you with this clipboard."

"Lighten up, Jas" said Emmett with a smile. "I happen to know you've been talking to Miss Alice on a pretty regular basis."

"True, but you won't hear me talking about things that I shouldn't be sharing."

"I was only gonna say that she can…."

"I don't want to hear it."

"Whistle. She can whistle better than any girl I ever met." Emmett headed back out to the truck with a stupid grin on his face. "What did you think I was gonna say?" He whistled a little tune to reinforce his point.

Jasper laughed and shook his head. Emmett might be a pain in the behind, but he knew how to make you laugh, that was for sure. Jasper turned when he heard a little sound coming from the corner. He walked over and crouched down to scratch Aro behind the ears. "You miss Edward, don't you?" Aro put his head down on his paws, a forlorn look on his puppy face. "Hang in there for a few more minutes" said Jasper. "As soon as I know that big lug over there isn't gonna break all the beer bottles, we'll go for a run on the beach, ok?" Aro yelped and settled back to wait patiently.

Emmett walked back through the door, balancing two cases. "Hey Jasper…"

"I don't want to hear it" Jasper replied without looking up front his clipboard.

L a B

Alice and Rose collapsed onto Bella's bed, leaving her nowhere to sit.

"Hey, I'm tired too" she whined.

"Too bad" said Rose. "We found your damn phone, didn't we?"

Bella couldn't complain. Alice and Rose intimidated the lost and found guy until he actually went out and looked for the phone himself. Fortunately for Bella, someone found it on the ground near baggage claim and actually turned it in to one of the car rental places. It just hadn't made its way to lost and found yet. After thanking the guy profusely, Bella clutched the phone in her hand, so relieved to have it back and in one piece. The first thing she did was to send Edward a text so he'd know.

"Yes, you did. And I'm very grateful." Bella plopped down on the floor and took her sneakers off so she could rub her feet. "But then you made me walk all over the mall to buy stuff I don't need."

Alice sat up and glared at her friend. "Are you not meeting your boyfriend's parents Friday night? Do you not need something new to give you confidence? I know you, Bella." She poked Rose. "Won't she look great in that sweater?"

Rose didn't move. "Bella is a confident person and she would be fine wearing a brown paper bag."

"Thank you" said Bella. She took the new clothes out of the bag and set them by her suitcase.

"But" Rose admitted "That sweater will be perfect."

"Fine" said Bella, going to her laptop to check her email. Or Ed-mail, as she'd started calling it. She skimmed the list. "Oh, crap. No!"

"What" asked Alice. "What is it?"

"The email from my job. They want me to work Friday and Saturday. I wasn't supposed to start till Monday."

Rose peered over her shoulder. "Just explain it to them. They'll understand."

"No, it's that idiot Riley. He loves to mess with the schedule. Especially mine." Bella pounded her fist on the desk and grabbed her phone. "Hey Riley, its Bella Swan. I got your email about the schedule. I'm sorry, but I won't be here this…..excuse me? Aren't you even going to listen? But…" Her face fell. "I understand." She ended the call. "He says if I don't come in, I'll lose my job."

"That little….." Alice looked ready to hunt him down that second. "Who's the manager?"

"It's Mr. Clearwater" said Bella.

"Oh, leave him to me." Rosalie smiled. "This will be fun." She held out her hand for the phone. "Hello? May I speak to the manager?" She winked. "Hi Mr. Clearwater. It's Rosalie. I'm fine, thank you so much… Yes, I went to Hilton Head with Alice Brandon and Bella Swan….I know, they are lovely girls. Bella works for you, doesn't she?" She laughed. "I'm not surprised to hear she's one of your favorites. Actually, that's the reason I'm calling. Bella is supposed to go out of town this weekend. Did you know she's dating a guy on the Olympic team? Yes, really!"

Bella slapped her forehead but Rosalie kept going.

"And she's meeting his parents this weekend, but that boy, Ralph? Oh yes, Riley. He said she'd be fired if she doesn't work." She managed to sound highly offended. "Well, I can understand that the textbooks have to be unpacked, of course. How about if Alice and I come in and help her on Wednesday and Thursday? With three of us working it'll be a snap….oh, that's okay, you don't have to pay us. Alice and I would do anything to help our friend." A long pause. "Of course, if that's what it will take. Chocolate Chip or Pecan Spice?"

Bella and Alice had to clamp their hands over their mouths to keep from laughing out loud.

"Ok, Mr. C. I'll tell Daddy you said hello and we'll see you tomorrow. Thanks!" Rose clicked off. "Now, ladies, that's how it's done. Two dozen Chocolate Chip cookies and 2 days of helping Bella, and you are off to Chicago."

"You guys are the best" Bella said, hugging both of her friends. "The best."

The next two days flew by. Bella was so happy to have Alice and Rose helping her. The work went smoothly, although Riley tried to complicate things every way he could think of.

"What is his problem?" said Alice. "Does he have a crush on you or is he just a pain in the ass?"

"He clearly doesn't like me. It's just a control thing" Bella answered. They walked out of the store Thursday afternoon, their project complete.

The next morning, the girls insisted on dropping Bella off at the airport despite the early hour.

"Have fun" said Rose. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Alice smacked her arm. "There isn't anything you wouldn't do."

Rose raised one eyebrow. "Your point?" She pulled Bella in for a hug. "You have fun sweetie, and don't worry about anything."

Alice shouted "Call us! We want details!"

Bella waved as she entered the airport.

Three hours later, she stood impatiently waiting to exit the plane in Chicago. She was too excited to be nervous. Somehow she knew this was going to be the start of something wonderful. She missed Edward terribly, and couldn't wait to see him. Finally people started moving and she made her way through the terminal. When she got to baggage claim she looked around anxiously, looking for his distinctive bronze hair.

And there he was. Before she could move, he ran to her, grabbed her around the waist and spun her around. Edward pressed his lips against hers, holding her head tightly to his while he moved his mouth gently against hers.

"I'm so glad you're here" he whispered.

"Me too. I missed you so." She ran her fingers through his hair and kissed him again.

Lips pressed tightly together, they both had the same thought.

Home.


	12. Chapter 12

Life's A Beach

Chapter 12

A/N – To those of you who've stuck with this slow story, sorry for the delay! Lots going on…the good news is I've been busy with my novel, and even had my first book signing! Anyway, let's not waste any more time and get back to the happy reunion between Edward and Bella. Just one disclaimer as this moves forward – I'm not an expert on speed skating (but I am an Olympics groupie) so if someone who reads this finds something that isn't right, please take a deep breath, remember that this is fiction, and forgive me! Oh, and of course, all things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyers, and no copyright infringement is intended.

-LaB-

Edward couldn't believe how wonderful it felt to have Bella in his arms again, to breathe in the familiar smell of her strawberry shampoo, and to feel her head tucked into his chest. "I can't believe you're here" he whispered, placing a soft kiss on her ear.

Bella nuzzled her head into his chest and couldn't stop smiling. His arms just felt so good around her, so strong and so warm. "I missed you" she said, looking up into his eyes. "I missed you so much."

Edward laughed as he rubbed his nose against hers. "Can you believe this?" He slid his hands down her arms and took her hands. "We're together again, but it's cold, rainy Chicago instead of sunny warm Hilton Head. Maybe we're doing this backwards."

"Maybe we just need to work our way back south again" she answered.

"Someday we will" he promised "but right now we need to get your bags." He lowered his head to whisper in her ear again. "I've got things I want to do and say that I can't do or say in airport baggage claim."

Bella stared at him for a moment and sprinted to where her bags waited. Ten minutes later they were in his car, her hand clasped tightly in his, with matching grins.

"I thought we'd go back to the dorm first, drop off your stuff. And…talk about…stuff" said Edward, trying not to look as crazy happy as he felt, afraid Bella would go running in the other direction if she knew how intense his feelings were. "And then, I hope this is okay, but we're having dinner with my parents tonight."

Bella couldn't help the noise she made. She clapped her free hand over her mouth.

"Did you just squeak?" Edward laughed.

"Um, yeah, I guess I did" she answered, blushing. "I just didn't realize I'd have to meet them so soon."

"I can change it to tomorrow if you want" he said. "It's our first non-beach date and I only want you to be happy. But they really want to meet you, and I'm afraid they'll drive me crazy until they do."

"No" she said. "I want to meet them, really."

He picked up the slight frown. "What? What is it?"

"I just hope they like me."

"Are you kidding? My mom's already over the moon, and she hasn't even met you."

"And your dad? How's your dad gonna be?"

Edward kept his eyes on the road but squeezed her hand. "He'll be fine. I couldn't be happier with how our conversation went. We're in such a good place right now. You will just be the icing on the cake."

Bella exhaled the breath she was holding. "Your message sounded good, but I feel so much better now that I've seen your face, seen that you really mean it about your dad. What happened?"

"Believe it or not" said Edward, still kind of amazed at what had happened, "I found out he used to be a skater. National level and everything, until he got hurt. His skating career was over in like a second. He had a really hard time dealing with all of it and just wanted me to have a happier ending than he did." He pulled the car into a space along the street. "But now he knows that trying for the Olympics, whether I make it or not, is what will make me happy. That and you." He gave her hand a quick kiss before opening his door and jogging around to open hers.

"An amazing athlete and a gentleman too" she smirked. "Does it get any better than this?"

He grabbed her suitcase and took her by the hand. "Let me show you how much better it can get."

-LaB-

Alice paced back and forth across the living room of the apartment she shared with Rosalie and Bella. "Why hasn't she called?"

Rosalie looked up from the kitchen table where she was painting her nails. She admired her left hand and blew gently on the polish. "Alice, imagine that you were seeing Jasper for the first time in almost two weeks. Would you be worried about calling me and Bella as soon as you got there?" She went back to work on her right hand. "Of course, you should be thinking about your friends but something tells me…"

"Okay, okay, point taken" said Alice. She pointed to her head. "And I would know if something bad happened, which it hasn't."

"Then stop pacing. Go call Jasper."

Alice darted off to get her phone. "But she better call soon, or else."

Rosalie began counting. "One…two…three…"

Alice burst back into the room. "Like doesn't she know we'd be worried about her?" She put the phone up to her ear. "Hey Jazz, how are you?" She fluttered her eyelashes and wandered back to her room.

"So predictable" said Rose, holding up both hands to admire her manicure.

"I am not" shouted Alice.

Rose poked at her phone with one nearly dry nail. "Call Emmett" she said. It only took one ring for him to answer.

"Hi sweet girl" came Emmett's deep voice, the southern accent making it sound even better. While not as pronounced as Jasper's, it was just enough to make Rose's heart do a little flip-flop.

"I have you on speaker" said Rose. "My nails are drying."

"I have no secrets" he exclaimed. "Anything I say to you can be heard by anyone."

"I should hope not" said Rose, lowering her voice. "Because I have some things to say to you that I don't want anyone else to hear."

Emmett started to stutter. "R..R..Rosie…"

"But first tell me you've heard from Edward and that Bella is safely in Chicago."

He started to laugh. "Nothing from Edward, but I did get a text from his mom. Bella's flight landed on time, and they are looking forward to meeting her at dinner tonight."

Rosalie chuckled. "Not sure that's what Bella had planned for her first night in Chicago. But you'd meet my parents if I asked you, wouldn't you? Emmett?"

After a tiny moment of silence, Emmett replied. "Yes, ma'am. I'd do anything that would make you happy."

"Good answer."

-LaB-

"Mmmmmm….what time is it" whispered Bella.

Edward reached across her to the night table and grabbed his watch. "Oh, crap, we have twenty minutes before we have to meet my parents."

"Twenty minutes?" Bella shot up off the bed and ran for the shower. "I call first shower!"

"I could help" Edward called to her. "It would save time."

"No it wouldn't" she said. "I have to look like a good girlfriend." She shut the door and Edward heard the water go on. He leaned his head against the door and spoke softly. "You'll look like the perfect girlfriend, because that's what you are."

Twenty-two minutes later, Edward opened the door of the restaurant and motioned for Bella to go ahead. He quickly placed a hand on the small of her back and escorted her toward the hostess.

"Do you have a reservation?"

"Actually" said Edward, pointing toward a table near the windows, "We're with the crazy people at that table. The ones who are waving." He turned to Bella. "Ready to meet the parents?"

The hostess took one look at the table where Esme waved frantically while Carlisle tried not to laugh. She shot Bella a sympathetic look. "Good luck" she said, and escorted them to the table.

Esme nearly jumped out of her chair. "Hello, dear. You must be Bella."

"Very perceptive, mother" said Edward with a smirk.

"Oh shush, you. Let me enjoy this." Esme wrapped Bella in a hug. "It's so good to meet you."

"You too" said Bella, discretely wiping a tear from her eye. Esme's warm welcome and tender hug made her think of her own mother, and how much she missed her.

"Now look, Esme, you've made her cry already." Carlisle stepped forward and gave Bella a quick hug. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella."

Edward rolled his eyes and pulled her back against him. "In case you haven't guessed, these are my parents. Esme and Carlisle Cullen. Mom, Dad, this is my Bella."

"Sit down, dear" said Esme, patting the chair next to her. Bella sat and Edward took the chair on the other side of her. The hostess handed them menus, flashed one last sympathetic look at Bella, and left. "Now, I want to hear all about how you and Edward met."

"Actually, his dog knocked me down on the beach" said Bella, with a quick smirk at Edward.

"Edward!" scolded his mother.

"Did you know he had a dog?" Carlisle asked his wife.

"Not until I saw the picture on his phone" said Esme.

"You have a picture of the dog on your phone?" asked Bella, slightly miffed at playing second fiddle to a dog.

"No….I mean yes, I have a picture of Aro, which I showed mom, but my background picture is you in that blue bikini."

"You showed your mother a picture of me in the blue bikini?" Bella's voice was nearly a shriek.

"I didn't get to see a picture of the dog or a picture of Bella in a bikini" Carlisle complained.

"Don't show that picture to your father" said Bella and Esme at the same time. They looked at each other and burst into giggles.

"We're doomed" said Edward to his father. "They've ganged up on us already."

Carlisle summoned the waiter and ordered 2 glasses of scotch. "Drink up, son. It won't save you, but it'll make it less painful. Trust me."

The food was delicious, and the meal was filled with pleasant conversation about Edward and Bella's college experiences, the latest information on Jasper's success with his restaurant, and what Emmett was doing to get into or stay out of trouble these days. Esme laughed and clapped her hands when she heard about Alice and Rosalie and how they'd captured the hearts of Edward's two best friends. As they were finishing dessert, Carlisle set down his napkin and cleared his throat.

Edward didn't have a good feeling about this.

"Bella" he began "now that Edward has decided to try and make the national team, how do you see your relationship and how it will effect him? He'll need to be focused and…"

"What the hell, Dad?" Edward turned bright red. "You just decided this week to support me, and now you're questioning Bella?"

Bella put her hand on Edward's shoulder. "No, Edward. He's right." She looked Carlisle dead in the eyes. "If he's going to support you, he needs to be in 100 percent. That means he has the right to protect you from anything or anyone else that might distract you from your goals."

Esme grinned and raised her eyebrows to Edward, who just sat there stunned.

Bella continued. "I'm there for Edward 100 percent too – and more. I want him to succeed, at this or anything else he chooses, but most of all this, because I know how much it means to him. I know he has to be focused, but I'm pretty sure that's not a problem because he's managed to balance school and skating and family and friends so far. But you don't have to worry about me disrupting his focus, because I will be the most determined, most loving, most supportive fan he has ever had." She looked at Esme. "I'll do whatever he needs me to do to be there for him, even if that means leaving him alone. But I think we'll be better together than we will be apart."

Carlisle flashed his son a big smile. "I thought so" he said smugly "but I wanted to know that we were all on the same page. I can admit that I was wrong" he said seriously "but I'm all in." He grabbed Edward's hand and Bella's, motioning for Esme to do the same. When all four of them had their hands joined, he lifted them in the air. "Here's to Team Edward!"

"To Team Edward" they shouted, and dissolved into laughter. Edward looked at his mother and father, and then at Bella. He was never more sure of what he wanted in his life.


	13. Chapter 13

**Life's A Beach**

 **Chapter 13**

 **A/N – Trying to keep on a better schedule here. Now that Bella has met the parents, let's see what else the weekend holds. What will Bella think when she sees Edward skating for the first time?**

LaB

Bella woke and tried to stretch her arms before she realized that there was an arm wrapped around her waist and a warm body curled up around her. She snuggled against him feeling cozy and content. Edward snored softly against the back of her neck and she tried not to laugh at the ticklish feeling. Suddenly there was a loud, obnoxious buzz coming from the vicinity of the bedside table. Bella jumped nearly a foot in the air, but Edward merely rolled over, tapped the snooze button, and wrapped himself around her again.

"What time is it?" She was still trying to catch her breath.

"Five thirty" he mumbled. "I have to leave for practice at 6." He wiped his face with the hand that wasn't wrapped around Bella. They'd talked last night about getting up early for his practice this morning, but they didn't get much sleep and neither of them seemed inclined to move. "But then we have the rest of the weekend to ourselves." When the alarm went off again ten minutes later, he kissed her slowly, softly, and then climbed out of bed. She heard the water run in the bathroom. Edward stuck his head out with a toothbrush in his mouth. "You don't have to go with me" he said. "Sleep some more and I'll be back in two hours. We can go get breakfast when I get back."

She sat up and pushed her hair off her face. "Can I come? Or will it bother you to have me there?"

"It won't bother me at all, but I'm afraid you might be bored watching me skate around in a big oval for two hours." Edward pulled on sweat pants and a thick sweater.

Bella got out of bed. "No, I want to go. If you're sure it's okay. Will your coach mind?"

Edward snickered. "My coach? He'll love you."

At 6:30, with a steamy cup of sweetened coffee in her hands, Bella sat in the first row of the ice rink, totally amused by the sweet flirtation of Edward's coach. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Banner."

"Just call me Coach, Bella. Everyone does. Except for Edward, who calls me rude names when he thinks I'm not listening."

"I do not" said Edward, skating up to them from across the ice. "I call you rude names even when you're listening. And stop making eyes at my girlfriend."

"Get out there and start warming up. Bella and I will be just fine." Coach shooed him away and then turned to Bella with a smile. "I'm harmless, dear, but I do enjoy winding him up. Makes him skate better."

"Your secret is safe with me" said Bella. Coach excused himself and went down to the ice. Bella turned her attention to Edward and her jaw nearly hit the floor as he skated away from her. She'd seen the powerful muscles in his legs and arms, but seeking him skating was a whole different thing. He was skating slow laps around the enormous oval track, perfectly balanced, pushing off on each foot in turn. Despite his slow pace, each stride was so powerful that it moved him further and further around the track. One arm swung back and forth to match his slide while the other one rested on his back. She was mesmerized by the action. So smooth, so graceful, and yet so strong. It was beautiful. She'd watched some videos of speed skaters to try to learn more about his sport, but they hadn't prepared her for watching it, watching him in person.

Bella leaned forward, listening as Coach gave Edward instructions, made adjustments, and ran him through his workout.

"Okay, Edward, let's do four laps at full speed, not racing time, but push a bit. I know you want to show off for your girl." Coach winked at Bella and she was sure she blushed.

Watching Edward push himself on the track was like nothing she'd seen before. He was born to do this. His speed built until he hit the third lap and then suddenly, another skater appeared on the ice almost directly in Edward's path. Bella screamed as Edward swerved and nearly lost his balance avoiding the skater. He managed, with some difficulty, to bring both feet down to the ice and slow himself. Bella couldn't tell who was angrier, Coach or Edward.

"What the hell, Tracker?" Edward shouted, rounding on the blond haired man. "What are you trying to do?"

"Loosen up, Eddie" said the man, a sly grin on his face. "No harm, no foul. Just testing your reflexes." He laughed. "I guess you pass."

Coach made his way between the two skaters. "Edward, are you okay?"

"Yeah, sure" said Edward. "No thanks to this idiot."

"James, get off the ice while Edward finishes his workout." Coach pointed an angry finger at him. "You pull one more stunt like this and so help me…."

"What? You'll tell the committee? Good luck with that." James skated slowly off the ice while Coach directed Edward to start his cool down. Bella wasn't sure what she'd just witnessed, but it was pretty clear this wasn't the first run-in between the two men.

"Well, well, who do we have here?" James looked Bella up and down with an evil grin. "I'm…"

"You're a jerk, and I'm Edward's girlfriend." She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. She heard a shout from Edward and wanted to assure him she was fine. She stood and walked away, knowing James couldn't follow her without removing his skates.

Edward confronted the pony-tailed man. "Stay away from her" he growled.

Before James could answer, Coach shouted at him. "Get on the ice, James. You've got work to do .

Tracker skated past Edward slowly. "See ya, Cullen. You too, pretty girl."

"I'll take her out to the locker room exit" said Coach, taking Bella by the arm. "Don't let him get to you."

Edward stalked off to the locker room and emerged fifteen minutes later still angry, but relieved to see that Bella was fine and nowhere near his rival. "I'm sorry you had to see that, Bella."

Bella threw her arms around him holding him quietly for several minutes before speaking. "What was that? You could have gotten hurt. What was he thinking?"

"It was stupid and dangerous, and I know Coach will deal with it, but yes, we both could have been hurt. More likely me, at the speed I was going. James and I have skated together for years, since we were teenagers. He's my biggest rival, here and for nationals, but he doesn't seem to care who he hurts to get what he wants." Edward wrapped his arm around her shoulder and began to walk her out to the car. "His father is pretty influential, and so he gets away with a lot. That and he's good. That's the worst part. He's really talented but he's dangerous."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Bella turned to look in his eyes. "Really okay?"

"Nothing a little time in the hot tub won't cure. Could I talk you into joining me?" He raised his eyebrows at her.

"Absolutely" said Bella. "I even brought my blue bikini."

LaB

Alice pushed her chair back from the table where her laptop sat. "There, it's done. Two round trip tickets to Savannah, courtesy of Jasper and Emmett."

"Let me see" said Rosalie, leaning over her shoulder to read the email with the flight details. "I can't wait till next weekend."

"I know" Alice answered. "I can't wait to see Jasper again." She looked thoughtful. "Do you think this is all too fast?"

"Not at all" said Rose. She pulled Alice over to stand in front of the mirror. "Who can blame them for falling in love with this?"

"True" said Alice. "Speaking of which, I think we should call Bella. You know, make sure she's having a good time, check on when she'd coming back so we know when to pick her up."

Rose rolled her eyes. "You don't need to call Bella. Bella is a big girl, and I'm sure she is just fine. All you want is to find out what's going on with her and Edward. Why don't you call Jasper and thank him for the tickets instead?

"Great idea!" Alice dashed to the other room to get her phone.

"Good" said Rosalie. "That gives me at least an hour of quiet." She sat down at her computer and opened Skype. It wasn't long before Emmett answered. "Hey, big bear" she purred. "Got a few minutes?"

Emmett got that silly grin that always happened when he talked to his beautiful girl. "I have all the time in the world for you, Rosie."

She heard Jasper's voice in the background. "No you don't. You have exactly one hour, Emmett. We have a bar to open."

"I'll be ready as soon as you get off the phone with Miss Alice." Emmett grinned. "That'll fix him. There's no way the pixie will let him off the phone any sooner than that."

"You are such a clever boy" crooned Rosalie. "Thank you for the plane tickets. Now, what plans do you have for next weekend?"

"Oh, I've got plans" he answered. "It's open mic night at the club since we don't have Edward to sing, so I can use your help behind the bar."

Rosalie narrowed her eyes. "Try again, Emmett."

"Okay, okay. I still have to work Saturday night, but how does a picnic on the beach sound? You and me, lots of sand, lots of food?"

"That's more like it" she answered. "I'll even help you work the bar after."

"That's my girl" Emmett said with a grin. "I love a girl who knows how to pour a beer and mix a margarita."

Rosalie sighed with contentment. Some girls might want sweet words and romance, but Emmett knew her and knew exactly what to say.

LaB

It was late Saturday night, and Edward had taken Bella out to dinner in Chicago. They sat at their table and looked out over the lights of the city. He held her hand, gently rubbing his thumb across her palm. "So what do you think of Chicago?"

"It's wonderful" Bella responded. "I'm so glad I got to see it."

"I hope you'll see it many more times, sweetheart."

Bella smiled at the term of endearment. "I'm glad I got to see you too. And meet your parents." She paused. She didn't want to make this too heavy, but she had to ask. "Do you think we'll be able to make this work?"

"I know we can" Edward replied. "But I admit it won't be easy for the next year. This isn't going to be just a long-distance relationship. It's gonna be a long-distance relationship where you'll have to travel to me more than I can travel to you. Where you'll have to spend a ridiculous amount of time watching me train instead of taking you places and doing things with you." He swallowed hard, almost afraid to hear her answer. "Are you going to be okay with that?"

Bella took his other hand and looked into his eyes. "It's one year, Edward. One year where it'll be this intense. Not forever. I get that it might always be different, but that's okay. You're a world-class athlete…"

"Well, not yet. Not till I make the team."

"With your determination, you'll make it, I know you will. And I will be there, any way you want me."

"I don't just want you, Bella. I need you." He leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. "Promise me we'll go back to Hilton Head, soon, even if it's just a weekend, or a day…I want to remember what it was like to kiss you on the beach."

"In the warm air, that's something I can definitely go for." Bella pretended to shiver. "It's cold here. And colder at the ice rink."

"Guess you better get some warmer clothes" Edward said, smugly "cause you're gonna spend a lot of time being cold for a while."

Bella laughed, then her expression turned serious. "Can we talk about what happened today, at practice."

Edward frowned. "Don't worry about it, Bella. James is an ass, but he wouldn't really risk hurting a teammate."

"Are you sure? Because it sure looked like it."

"I can handle James." He deftly changed the subject. "Now, I'd much rather talk about the hot tub. Promise me you will never get rid of that blue bikini and that you'll bring it when I take you back to Hilton Head."

"I promise" said Bella.

They stood, and Edward retrieved her coat. He held it out for her and waited as she slipped her arms in. He wrapped her scarf around her neck. They walked outside, and both grinned when they saw it was snowing. The light reflecting on the new snow made a magical scene.

"Hey, did you ever call the girls back?" Edward asked, curious.

"Nope" said Bella. "I haven't called them and it has to be making them crazy. I have 12 texts and 4 messages from Alice. She's a little over the top."

"Really? I hadn't noticed." Edward kept a straight face and opened the car door for her.

"Go ahead and laugh, Edward. You aren't the one who has to deal with her when I get back."

"But you love her."

"I do. I really do. She and Rose are the best."

"Then I guess it's a really good thing my best friends are in love with them too."

Bella thought she might burst from happiness. "It's a pretty amazing thing. And just think, it all started with that crazy puppy."

"Yeah" said Edward. "I think he's earned dog biscuits for the rest of his life." He kissed her gently and started the car. "Now let's go make plans for your next visit."


	14. Chapter 14

Life's A Beach

Chapter 14

A/N – A little jump in time now…let's take our couple back to where it all started.

Bella could see it coming, but she was powerless to do anything about it. She felt her feet leave the ground, felt her butt hit the sand, and felt the wet rough licks that told her Aro had struck again. She was ridiculously happy to be back in Hilton Head, even if that meant getting tackled by the golden puppy again. The only person happier than Bella was Edward, who was already covered with salt water and sand from where Aro tackled him with the kind of joy that only a dog can show. Now the puppy ran crazy circles around them in the sand while Jasper laughed.

"I guess he's happy to see you."

Edward rubbed the puppy's wet fur. "Yeah, I guess so. Thanks for taking care of him, Jas."

"Not a problem. It's my pleasure to be his foster dad for the next year. Then he's all yours." Jasper reached down and gave Bella a hand up. "Good to see you again, Miss Bella. It's been a while."

It was the week after college graduation, and Bella and Edward managed to sneak away for a few days to celebrate. Coach gave Edward permission to take a few days off from training on the condition he run on the beach every day and do his usual off-ice exercise routine. It was a trade Edward was happy to make.

"I'm happy to be here" Bella replied. "Alice sends her love, you know." Alice and Rose had spent a couple of weekends and most of spring break in Hilton Head, but Bella didn't want to go with them if Edward couldn't get away. Hilton Head Island was still magical, but she couldn't imagine being here without him, not when the girls would have Jasper and Emmett. Unfortunately, Bella's spring break overlapped with one of Edward's first big competitions for the year. She couldn't go with him because of mid-term exams, but she wanted to be in Chicago waiting when he got back. It was a good thing she did, because Edward needed some serious cheering up. He'd finished third, behind James and some new kid from Washington state named Jacob Black who just barely beat Edward's time.

Bella knew she had to keep him from getting too much in his head about it. Coach Banner was happy with the times, but Edward was unhappy with the results. He was especially unhappy because James took every opportunity to rub it in. All Edward would tell Bella was that James had made some comments about her. He wouldn't tell her what his rival said and she wasn't sure she wanted to know. Clearly, James Tracker wasn't going away any time soon and that didn't make either one of them happy.

Bella and Edward decided they would leave the day after graduation and spend three days on the island. Alice and Rosalie would be there tomorrow after taking an extra day to clean up the apartment. They were still job hunting and working temporary jobs until something better came along. Bella had managed to get a full time position at the university bookstore and would start as soon as they got back. It wasn't her dream job, but she'd already decided to stick with it until the Olympics, since it would give her some flexibility with taking time off. Unless Riley had something to say about it, but that hadn't been a problem since Rosalie worked her magic with the manager. Now he just scowled at her.

Edward got up and took Bella's hand. "We're gonna go for a walk on the beach. We'll be back in time for dinner at the pub, OK?"

"Perfect" said Jasper. "Do you want me to take Aro back to the house?"

Aro answered that question by taking off down the beach. Edward just shook his head. "No, we'll catch him." He caught the leash that Jasper tossed him. "See you in a bit."

Within a few minutes, they caught up with the naughty puppy when he stopped to check out a bag of potato chips someone left sticking out of a picnic basket. Edward quickly clipped the leash onto Aro's collar and they started off on their walk. Aro looked mournfully at the bag of chips he left behind.

"I just love it here" said Bella. "More than any other place on earth. There's just something so peaceful here, especially in the morning. Can we do morning beach walks every day we're here?"

Edward raised their joined hands and kissed her wrist. "Whatever you want, Bella. I'm just glad to have a couple of days to relax."

She smirked. "I won't tell Coach you said that."

"Trust me, he'll know if I goof off too much." Edward grinned. "I'll get my workouts done, but we will definitely make time just for us."

Bella couldn't help but notice the changes in Edward now that he was training seriously. She thought he had an amazing body before, but his muscle definition was just better and better all the time. She for one was not complaining about his training if that was the outcome.

"I'm so glad you came to my graduation" said Bella. "Admit it, you were worried about meeting my dad."

"No I wasn't. He's great. No problem." There was no way Edward was going to admit just how nervous he really was. Charlie Swan scared him. Edward wouldn't forget the way the man glared at him when they were first introduced. They got to spend some time together before graduation, and had dinner after the ceremony. By the end of dinner, he felt as though he'd made some progress with the Chief.

Bella snickered. "Yeah, okay. Being a potential Olympian, that definitely got you some points. But I think Dad likes you, he just wants you to sweat a little."

"I'm glad I got to meet him. I mean, if you're coming with me to nationals, I want him to feel good about that."

Bella's eyes went wide. They hadn't talked about it yet. "Really? You want me at nationals?" Bella kept her voice calm, but inside she was squealing like a fan girl, which, she guessed, was exactly what she was. "I don't want to be in the way. Or distract you or anything."

Edward already knew he wanted – no, he needed to have her there. He'd missed her at the last completion and while he would never use her as an excuse for his performance, he was definitely distracted. "It's just the opposite. Not having you there distracts me, because I want you with me. You give me focus, Bella. I just don't think we should be apart." He grinned. "Not if you want me to win."

"Oh, you'll win, mister." Bella wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled against his chest.

Edward leaned down and planted a sweet kiss on her lips before tucking her head under his chin. "I've already won, Bella. Everything else is just icing on the cake." With that, Aro ran in a circle trying to catch a sea gull and wrapped their legs together with the leash. Edward untangled them before they could end up in the sand again and they made their way back up to Jasper's.

By the next night, Alice and Rosalie had arrived on the island and the whole group was headed to the Jasper's Pub for the evening. When they walked into the bar, Emmett nearly dropped the four margaritas he was balancing. He recovered, though not gracefully, and set the drinks down at a table of cute 20-somethings.

"That's it, ladies, it's bar service only for the rest of the evening because my gorgeous girl is here and I'm not leaving her side."

Rosalie walked over, put her hands on her hips and glared at one of the girls whose hand was just a little too close to Emmett's behind. "That ass is spoken for, sweetheart." She picked up one of the margaritas, drained it, and kissed Emmett full on the lips. "Sorry, girls. He'll bring you another drink. But that's all he's gonna bring you."

Emmett just stared. "You're so hot when you're possessive."

Jasper shook his head. He turned to Edward. "Do you see what my life is like? Can you believe this? And when she's not here he's just as bad, missing her."

"Don't you miss me?" Alice pouted.

Jasper wrapped her in his arms and lifted her off the ground. "More than I could say, sugar. More than I could say." He plopped her in a chair at the table closest to the bar. "Edward, you ready?"

"Yup, let's get this over with. I promised you one set, then I plan to sit down at that table and drink with my girl for the rest of the night." Edward stepped up to the little platform and picked up his guitar.

Bella, Alice and Jasper sat at the table and clapped as loud as anyone, especially when Edward's last Beach Boys song had the whole place singing along. Rosalie pointed from her seat at the bar to the girl who she'd kept away from Emmett. Apparently two margaritas were enough to make the girl think she should get a little closer to the stage and the cute singer. Rosalie pointed a finger at her. "You! Sit." The girl weaved a little but immediately sat back in her chair. Bella blew Rose a kiss.

Once Edward was finished, he joined them at the table. They ate hushpuppies and barbecue and shrimp until none of them could move. By that time it was close enough to closing time that Rose and Emmett could join them.

"So what's up next, Eddie?" Emmett grinned, knowing that his friend hated the nickname. "You gonna be able to make it back down here for any of the summer?"

Edward shook his head. "Nope, this is it. I'll be in Chicago, except for competitions, until Nationals in December."

"No breaks at all?" Emmett gaped at him.

"Not this year" Edward answered. "Now next year, you might not be able to get rid of me."

"You're always welcome, you know that" said Jasper. "As are you, Miss Bella."

"Next year we should all spend the summer here" shouted Alice.

"Next year we might all have real jobs" said Bella. "Jobs with only two weeks vacation, not the whole summer."

"However it works out, let's promise each other that we'll spend as much time as we can together next summer." Rosalie toasted everyone with her drink, something with a blue stripe running through it.

"And we might have something really big to celebrate by then" said Jasper.

Edward smiled at the group. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

Bella squeezed his hand. She knew he was still smarting over that last race, and wished she could do something to make him feel better about it. She snuggled into his side and raised her glass. "To next summer" she said, and they all chimed in.

"To next summer!"

LaB

In the blink of an eye, the mini-vacation was over, and Edward was back in Chicago. He put on his skates and pulled a headband over his ears to keep out the chill of the ice and the voice of his training partner. He checked his phone one more time to see if there was a message from Bella. He'd flown with her to New Jersey from Savannah before hopping a flight to Chicago. That gave them at least a little more time together. No message yet this morning but he knew she was starting work today. He typed out a quick "good luck" message then spent a few minutes looking at her picture.

"Nice picture" said James, snatching the phone out of his hand. "I could get used to seeing that on a daily basis."

"Give it back, James." Edward was determined not to provoke a fight, but he wasn't going to put up with any bullying either.

James skated a few strides then tossed the phone. "Catch!"

The phone hit the ice before Edward could get it. Fortunately, the screen was still in one piece when he picked it up. He tucked it into his backpack.

"Good thing you need your feet to skate, not your hands" said James. Clearly he was trying to start something. Edward skated past him and set a carefully measured pace as he moved around the track. Finally Coach called both skaters over to him.

"So here's the story. Only three long-track skaters will make the American team in your distances. Let's talk about the competition."

"We know which one of us needs to worry about the competition, and it isn't me" James sneered. "You're gonna have to step up your game, Cullen."

Coach shut him down. "Nothing I saw out of you was that impressive, Tracker. Maybe you both need to think about this Jacob Black kid. And the guy who took fourth, Ben Cheney." Coach pointed at James. "It's all about training and timing from this point on." Both skaters listened intently as Coach went over his plan for the next month. "Once we get past the next competition in Minnesota, we'll make any adjustments needed. Until then, I'm counting on you to push each other. Either one of you have a problem with that?"

"No, Coach" they answered in unison.

Edward still didn't like the idea of working with James, but Coach was right. If they were going to prove they were the two best skaters in the country, then they were each other's best motivation right now. He sighed, tucked away thoughts of Bella for the next few hours, and got to work.


	15. Chapter 15

Life's A Beach

Chapter 15

Edward flopped face down on the bed in his hotel room, unable to move. He'd just put his body through two grueling hours of practice and his legs burned from the exertion. This was the last really heavy practice session before Nationals. The competition started in three days, so from now on they'd be taking it a bit easier, working on form and strategy till Friday. He trusted his coach's training routine, and felt he was as ready as he could be.

During the time leading up to Nationals, his training became more and more intense. More training meant better performance, he knew. More training also meant less Bella, and he didn't like that at all. The last couple of months had been brutal, and he missed her more than he thought possible. Using all the power he had left, he rolled over on his back with a groan, too tired to strip off his sweat-soaked clothes. He willed his mind to take him to his happy place, and thankfully, his mind agreed.

He threw his arm over his eyes and focused on the one place he wanted to be. In his head, he saw tan and blue, sand and sky. And water. Gentle waves kissing the beach while the sun rose over the horizon. Clouds drifting across the sky, anchoring themselves along Broad Creek where they would watch over the early morning kayakers. Lying face down on the beach, her head resting on her crossed arms, was his Bella. The treasured tiny blue bikini sparkled in the early sunlight and her skin gleamed with beads of perspiration (not sweat, he thought) running from her back down her sides and into the sand. He could almost reach out and kiss her shoulders, nuzzle that sweet spot on her neck and…

The phone jarred him back from his happy place to the real world. Edward was half tempted to throw it across the room, but then he realized it might actually be Bella.

"Bella, sweetheart….?"

"No such luck, Speed Racer." Jasper laughed on the other end of the line. "Sorry to get your hopes up."

Edward growled. Now that his fantasy had been so cruelly interrupted, he was too aware that every part of his body hurt. "What is it?"

"I'm sorry, Edward. I know things are really intense there, and I thought maybe you could use a laugh. And I need someone to whine to, and you're elected."

Jasper had been there for him so many times; there was no way Edward wasn't going to listen. "What happened?" He sat up and started peeling off his socks. One whiff and he tossed them across the room to the laundry pile. That was gross.

"Emmett broke his arm. But that's not the funny part." Jasper snickered in the background. "The funny part is that he and Rosalie were 'counting cases of beer' in the storeroom when it happened, at least that's what they tell me, and neither one will admit what was really going on. Anyway, something made Emmett come running out into the bar, yelping about splinters, and he tripped over Aro. I don't know who was more scared, Emmett or the dog. But Aro escaped without injury. Emmett has a cast from his hand to his elbow for the next six weeks, and a bad case of wounded pride."

"Oh crap" sighed Edward. "I'm sorry about the dog."

"No, not his fault. This is all Emmett" said Jasper. "But I will get the whole story at some point and share it with you. Might take a few rounds, but I'll get it out of him."

"Or else Bella and Alice will get Rose to spill the details." Edward grinned at the thought. "I wish I could come down there and help you out" Edward said. He peeled off more layers of clothes while they talked.

"Don't worry about it. Guess who my new bartender is?" Jasper laughed an evil laugh. "Rosalie. I told her it was her fault, somehow, and she didn't argue too much. The funniest part is that she's great at it and trust me, she attracts a lot of attention. Business is booming. Emmett might find himself out of a job."

"Does that mean you won't be coming up for Nationals?" Edward felt a pang of disappointment. He was looking forward to having his cheering section there to bolster his effort.

"Oh no. I'm working it out, and we will all be there, though I was tempted to make Emmett and Rose take care of the club by themselves for punishment. Alice wouldn't let me do it." Jasper laughed again. "So when is Bella getting in?"

"She'll be here Thursday morning. That idiot, Riley, won't let her have the whole week and she definitely wants to be there for the finals on Saturday. At this point, there's no reason to push it."

"Yeah, better save up her vacation time till the Olympics. She'll want to be there for the whole time."

"Don't jinx things, Jas. One race at a time." Edward felt a chill run down his spine. He was so close, so close he could taste it. But he knew from his father's experience that all it took was one second – less than one second – and it could all be over.

"I hear you. Listen, I just got a text from Alice. She's gonna fly out with Bella and I'll meet them there Thursday night, okay? I'll have Emmett and Rose with me. I'll get everyone's flight numbers and send it to you."

"Sounds good. I don't think I'll be able to pick you up." Edward knew he wasn't going to have any time to spare between races, and any time he did have, he was spending with his girl.

"I've got it covered, man. You focus on what you're doing." Jasper got serious. "You're gonna do it, Ed. Don't overthink it."

"Thanks Jas. I'll try. See you Thursday." Edward clicked off the phone and dragged himself to the shower. Thursday couldn't come soon enough.

LAB

"Alice, grab that last bag and I'll go look for a cab." Bella picked up their carry-on bags and headed to the front of the airport. She was surprised to see a driver holding up a sign with her name. "I'm Bella Swan. Are you really here for me?"

"Yes ma'am. Courtesy of Mr. Cullen's coach." The driver smiled. "I'm to take you to the practice rink and drop your luggage at the hotel."

"Alice!" Bella dropped the carry-on bags and ran back to help her friend. She was desperate to see Edward and relieved that they had an easy way to get there. She'd have to remember to thank Coach later.

Thirty minutes later, they walked into the arena and headed for the rink.

"Bella, stop it" said Alice. "You're nearly hyperventilating."

"I can't help it" answered Bella. "My head is this crazy mix of dying to see him and being crazy worried about this weekend." She stopped and looked Alice in the eye. "He wants this so much, and I want him for him."

"He'll be fine" said Alice. "I just know." She pointed to her head and made Bella laugh. "Let's grab some seats until they're done." They slid into a row. "Do you see him?"

Bella felt like she could zone in on Edward no matter where he was. She ran her eyes quickly around the track area and spotted Edward standing near a bench just off the track. What she didn't expect to see was Coach standing in between Edward and another skater, one of his big hands on Edward's chest and one holding back the other skater. Her eyes grew wide as she realized who the second skater was. James Tracker. Somehow, she knew she shouldn't have been surprised.

"What's going on?" Alice whispered, despite the fact that they were too far away for the men to hear them.

"It's that guy I told you about, James. He's always giving Edward a hard time. It makes him crazy." Bella frowned. "He just pushes all Edward's buttons."

"Honey, you're the only one who should be pushing Edward's buttons, if you know what I mean." Alice gave her a sly look.

Bella couldn't hold back a laugh. Edward must have heard her, because he turned, grinned, and hopped over the wall. He sprinted up the steps to their seats. She squeezed out of the seats and reached for him and suddenly, they were both right where they wanted to be, wrapped tightly around each other.

Edward pulled back just enough to take her lips with his. He sighed, as content as he could possibly be. "I can't believe you're here. I've been waiting, it seemed like forever."

"I'm here" she murmured. "I missed you so much." They were lost in each other until Alice cleared her throat. They looked up, matching grins on their faces.

"Hey Alice" said Edward, leaning over to give her a hug without letting go of Bella.

"Hi Edward" Alice answered. "Jasper says to tell you he can't wait to get here."

"Yeah, I won't have a lot of free time but we are all definitely gonna hang out tonight when they all get here."

"And we'll celebrate on Sunday, right?"

"Don't get ahead of things, Allie" Edward said, but Bella took his chin firmly in hand.

"We will" said Bella. "We will definitely be celebrating." Her confidence in him made his heart melt.

"Well, well" said a male voice. "Who's this? Did you bring me a friend? Unless you plan on sharing the lovely Bella."

"Back off, James" growled Edward. "And don't be so crude."

"Hey, when you're good you can be anything you want" James said casually. "You're a cute one" he said, winking at Alice.

"Get lost, creep" she said. "The stringy hair look is out, didn't anyone tell you?" Bella laughed out loud, which just made James mad.

"You'll change your mind when I make the Olympic team and Eddie gets sent home."

"Not a chance" said Bella. "C'mon Edward. Let's go back to the hotel."

James refused to take the bait and strolled back down the steps. He picked up his helmet, said something quick to Coach, and made his way to the locker room.

"What a jerk" said Alice.

"He tries really hard to get under everyone's skin, but it all gets decided out on the track" said Edward. "On Saturday, he'll get what's coming to him."

"Can we go say hi to Coach?" Bella smiled. "I have to thank him for the car service."

"Yes, he's waiting to see you. I think he likes you more than he likes me" said Edward.

"That's true Cullen" said Coach as they walked up to him. "I just keep you around so I can see Bella."

Alice was introduced and they all chatted for a bit before Edward decided he couldn't stand it anymore. "I'm taking the girls back to the hotel. See you tomorrow, Coach."

LAB

By Thursday night, the whole gang had arrived. Edward burst out laughing when Emmett and Rose walked into the hotel lobby. Emmett's left arm was wrapped in a bright pink cast.

"It's not my fault" said Emmett. "Rose made the doctor do it. I wanted something manly, like camo color." He ignored the fact that everyone was laughing now. "Besides, I'm rocking this color. I declare it the new manly color for all things medical."

"You do that, Emmett. But you still look like a 5 year old girl." Edward was nearly doubled over now.

Rose just looked on smugly. "One of my better ideas, don't you think girls?" She linked arms with Bella and Alice. "Come on ladies, I need a drink after a day of traveling."

They found a local steak place and had a great dinner. Edward had to stick to a pretty strict diet, but the rest of them pigged out. They used the time to catch up on all that had happened since they were last all together. After a while, the talk turned to Friday and Saturday's races.

"So how does this work?" asked Rose.

"Well, it's a 400 meter track. The skaters will compete in pairs. One skater starts on the inside track and one on the outside track."

"Isn't that unfair to the one on the outside track?" said Emmett. "He has to skate farther."

"They thought of that" said Edward, rolling his eyes. "There's a crossover halfway through where the skaters switch lanes, so they both skate the same distance."

Emmett thought about that for a minute. "What if they both get to the crossover at the same time? What if they crash into each other? That would be cool, like roller derby only on ice skates." He grinned like a little kid.

Rosalie smacked his arm. "It's not like roller derby, you goof."

Edward shook his head and tried hard to stop laughing. "Because of the stagger, one skater should get to the cross over before the other. But if not, everyone knows which one has the right of way. A collision couldn't happen."

"But it would be so cool" said Emmett.

"Um, going really really fast on a little tiny blade here, Em. Colliding would definitely not be cool." Edward shuddered and Bella squeezed her eyes tight. She pictured exactly what Emmett was describing. Edward kissed the side of her head and gave her a hug. "Can't happen, sweetheart."

"Are you going to have to skate against that jerk we met today?" Alice crossed her arms over her chest. Her eyes narrowed as she thought of what James had said.

Edward sighed. "Probably. We're ranked one and two, so the chances are we'll meet in the final."

"Well, I hope you kick his butt" said Alice. Jasper squeezed her hand. "She might be tiny, but she's fierce" he said. They all laughed, except for Bella. She couldn't get the thought of what Emmett said out of her mind.

"I have an early bedtime, guys. You can stay here, but Bella and I are gonna head back." Edward pulled her to him. "Ok?"

"More than ok" Bella responded, kissing him gently on the lips. "See everyone tomorrow." They headed out.

"What happened with this guy James?" asked Jasper. Alice told them the whole story. Jasper, Emmett and Rose looked equally angry. "He shouldn't have disrespected you and Bella" said Jasper "let alone being such a pain to Edward."

"I say we keep a close eye out for him tomorrow" said Emmett. He could be pretty scary looking when he was serious.

"You won't be able to do anything when they're out on the ice" said Rose.

"No, but we can watch out everywhere else" said Jasper.

"And keep Bella safe from that creep" said Emmett.

"I'm glad you three are on Edward's side" exclaimed Alice. "You make a great fan club!"

"Oh yeah, said Emmett. "We're gonna be the best fans any speed skater ever had." They laughed and gave each other high fives. "Now, where's the dessert menu?"

 **A/N – I have no excuses for the delay except for writer's block – but now the characters have let me know what they want and so we are back on again. Please remember that I am taking liberties with the Olympic Team selection process for the sake of the story!**


	16. Chapter 16

Life's A Beach

Chapter 16

Edward crossed the finish line and straightened up from his skating position. With his hands on his hips to maximize the air he could pull in to his lungs, he let his skates carry him down the track. He beat the other skater, a good kid from Washington State named Mike, by a good ten seconds but this was a preliminary round so that was pretty much to be expected. Edward remembered being Mike's age and just starting out at the national level. The kid had done unexpectedly well getting to this round of nationals. Because of his national ranking, Edward had a bye for the first two rounds, meaning he didn't have to skate until the field had been cut by half. Mike was his first race of the day.

He heard the sound of skates behind him, and pushed down the hood of his sleek, aerodynamic suit. He'd gotten his hair cut that morning, just so he didn't have to stuff so much of the shaggy mess under the tight hood. It was a race day tradition, and Bella had gotten a kick out of it. He pretended for a few minutes that he was going to get it buzzed, just to see what she'd say. Edward grinned, remembering how her open mouth stare gave away her panic at the thought of him with a buzz cut, while her words assured him that anything that made him skate better was fine with her. Not for the first time that day, he thanked his lucky stars that he'd nearly tripped over her on the beach that first day.

Edward held his hand out as Mike skated up behind him. "Hey, good race Mike."

"Thanks Edward" said Mike. After shaking Edward's outstretched hands, Mike put his hands back on his knees. He sucked in a deep breath. "You're gonna be awesome at the Olympics."

"We'll see" said Edward. "Maybe next time it'll be you." He wanted to encourage the kid, though they both knew he wasn't ready this time around. "Keep working the way you are and I'll see you out here again next year at Regionals, right?"

"Sure Edward" said Mike. "See you – and thanks again for the advice." Mike was a little awestruck to be skating against Edward, and when the more experienced skater had given him a tip before the race about his toe position at the starting line, well, Edward went right to the top of the kid's list of favorite people, not just favorite skaters. They both cleared the track and headed in opposite directions.

Edward headed over to Coach to review the race and talk strategy for the next one. A shrill whistle caught his attention and he looked up to see his cheering section clapping and yelling. His eyes had spotted Bella before the race started. It settled him, seeing her in the stands, hands clasped and his favorite smile on her face. He wasn't exactly trying to show off for her, at least not in the preliminaries, but it gave him an extra lift to know she was there with their other friends. Edward gave them a grin and a thumbs up before turning to listen to Coach. He pulled on his warm up suit and stretched as they stood there, not wanted his muscles to tighten up between races.

"Good timing and good pacing, Edward" said Coach. "Just where we wanted you to be for this round." He looked at the schedule and the notes he'd made on it. "I figure you have an hour before you need to be ready to go again. Get some fluids and relax." Coach gave Edward an appraising stare. "I saw that tip you gave Newton before the race."

"Yeah, well, he's a good kid" said Edward, a little embarrassed. He didn't think anyone had noticed.

"You'll make a good coach someday, Edward. You're good with the other skaters, the young ones." Coach grinned. "But it isn't gonna happen this year. I'm too young to retire, and you've got some hardware to collect, if I'm not mistaken."

Edward opened his mouth to reply and was pushed nearly over the bench. His knee missed the bolt connecting the bench to the floor by inches. "What the….James. What the hell do you think you're doing?" He jumped up to face his nemesis.

Tracker was ready to race in the next pair and played off bumping into Edward. "Sorry man" he said, though it was clear he was anything but sorry. "Little too much energy, you know? Too bad I don't have a way to work some of it off." He looked suggestively toward the stands where Bella and Alice sat next to Rosalie. "Who's the blond chick?"

Coach stepped in between them before Edward lost his cool completely. "Get out there and warm up, James."

"I will" he said, skating slowly away. "Not that I'll need it against this loser." His voice was loud enough to make sure the guy he would race against heard it.

Edward shook his head. He wanted to win as much as the next guy. OK, more than the next guy, or he wouldn't be here. But this was the American National Team trials and he wasn't going to take anyone for granted – or be so rude to someone who could potentially be his teammate on the Olympic team, now or in the future.

"Don't think about it, Edward." Coach was mad enough for both of them. "Focus on the next race."

LAB

Bella breathed a giant sigh of relief when Edward crossed the finish line ahead of his opponent for the second time today. She watched as he pushed the hood back and ran his fingers through his neater but still shaggy hair. She was mesmerized watching him skate. The way he would push away so powerfully at the start, the smooth, almost hypnotic stroke of his skates against the ice, the way his long arm would swing as he made his way around the track. The sleek, skin tight suit didn't hurt either.

"Awesome" exclaimed Emmett. "That lap was four seconds faster than the one before it. And the competition is getting a little tougher every time so he's gotta step it up. Maybe a little more arm action next time."

Rosalie just stared at him. "Since when did you become an expert on speed skating? What are you, Edward's new coach?"

"I just wanted to know more about it, so I watched You Tube." Emmett grinned. "I can still work the TV remote with my other hand." He waved his pink cast around, nearly hitting Jasper in the head.

"Watch it, you big lunk" said Jasper, making sure Alice was safely out of Emmett's way. "You're dangerous with that thing."

Bella kept her eyes on the ice until Edward turned around and looked up at her. When she caught his eye, she blew him a kiss. The grin she got in return was like watching the sunrise over the ocean. It brightened everything. She felt her emotions well up, she was so proud of him. He'd already warned her that they wouldn't get to talk until he was done for the day.

"One more race today, B, and then he's through to the final rounds tomorrow." Jasper snatched the papers out of Emmett's hand. They were keeping track of the competition, who was still left to skate, and when Edward would be on the ice again. Bella was so glad all her friends were here. She would have been here anyway, whether or not they were able to go, but it was much more fun this way.

"Hey, who's that guy?" Alice looked over Jasper's shoulder. "He's fast, really fast. Almost as fast as Edward."

"That's Jacob Black" said Bella. "He finished just ahead of Edward in their last competition. Next to James, he's Edward's biggest competition."

"How many people go to the Olympics? Three?" Rosalie stood on her toes to watch as Jacob blew by his opponent.

"Just two for long track" said Bella. "I'd rather see Jacob make the team than James. At least I wouldn't have to worry about what stupid schemes he's coming up with to throw Edward off his game."

"Don't worry about it, sweetie. Edward's gonna be just fine, no matter what." Alice squeezed her friend by the arms. "You can't show him you're worried."

"I won't" said Bella. "He doesn't need any more stress."

"Oh, we'll have him laughing tonight, Baby Bells. He'll be so relaxed for tomorrow, it'll be like a walk in the park." Emmett winked at her. "Right, Rosie?"

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, Pinkie."

LAB

The rest of the afternoon went by quickly. Edward had one more race, which he won with ease. Bella noted the way he always spoke to his opponent after the race, offering his hand and some kind words. Before they knew it, it was time to leave for the day.

Though Emmett tried to talk them into a night on the town, Edward and Bella decided to stay in and order room service. They'd make an early night of it, since Edward had to be back on the ice early in the morning.

"So" said Bella "how did you feel it went today? You looked amazing out there."

Edward wrapped his arm around her and kissed her hair. "It's good. I'm where I wanted to be at this point, and I feel good. Tomorrow's going to be a lot more intense, you know that."

"What happens tomorrow?" She gently stroked his arm, feeling the powerful muscles.

"Three races. The first one will be against someone pretty high up in the standings, probably this guy named Erik Yorkie. He's a good skater, but I can beat him." Edward shifted so he could tuck Bella under his chin. "The next race will be a semi-final, either against Jacob or against this guy named Garrett who you probably saw today. He's coming back from an injury, so I'm not sure what he's got left, though he skated really well today. And then, if I make it through that, a final. Probably against James."

"I don't like James, and I wish you didn't have to skate against him. I just don't trust him." Bella knew she was pouting, and that there was nothing he could do to change it. "I hope somebody beats him."

"Well, you know what they say, sweetheart. Better the devil you know than the devil you don't know. At least I know how he skates, so I'll be ready for him."

"If you both make it to the final, does that mean you both go to the Olympics?" Bella felt her heart race. This was really happening.

"Yes, if we're the final pair, we'll both make the team. As long as we both finish the race."

His words sent a chill through Bella, though she wasn't sure why. She wrapped her arms around him just a little tighter.

"Would you mind if we just went to bed early? I might not be able to fall asleep right away, but could we just watch a movie?" Edward rubbed his legs and stood, reaching his hand out to her. "I sleep so much better with you here, my love. You are my personal lucky charm."

"Of course, Edward. Whatever you need." She took his hand and they spent a quiet night wrapped in each other's arms.

Bella woke in the morning and found herself alone in the bed. At first she was worried that Edward hadn't been able to sleep, but she realized it was already 6:30 AM and past the time he said he would get up. She relaxed again when she heard the shower running. She took the time to go through her phone calls and text messages. Lots of support from friends and family for Edward today, and she remembered that his parents would have arrived late last night and would be meeting them at the arena. Far from being nervous, she was excited about seeing them again.

Edward in a towel was something to see. Bella turned bright pink as he caught her looking at him. "Sorry" she murmured.

"Don't apologize" Edward answered, leaning over to give her a kiss. "It's not like I haven't stared at you…"

"…in that little blue bikini" they said in unison, and burst into laughs. It broke the ice on what would surely be a tense day.

"Now get going, Miss Swan. We've got places to go, and you've got my parents to entertain."

She was about to answer him when she got a text message from Alice. She read it to herself.

"Got to talk to you. Can't shake this dream I had."

"What's up?" asked Edward.

"Oh, nothing" said Bella. "Alice says she didn't sleep well, which usually means she'll be bouncing off the walls." She wasn't about to tell him about Alice and her dreams.

An hour later, they arrived at the arena and met up with Edward's parents while the rest of the gang went out to breakfast. The first races would take place in about an hour, and Edward wanted to have plenty of time to relax before getting into his suit and checking his skates.

Esme and Carlisle were delighted to see Bella again. They'd spent a lot of time talking about the changes in Edward since Bella came on the scene. They agreed that she was good for him, and they were counting on her staying around for a long time.

As the four of them stood talking, Coach came storming around the corner. "Edward" he shouted.

Edward's head shot up. He was shocked to see his almost always calm coach so disturbed. "What Coach? What's wrong?"

"Bella, Esme, Carlisle…I'm sorry to interrupt but I have to talk to Edward."

"Of course" said Carlisle. "Edward, we'll just wait in the arena."

Edward stopped him. "No, I want you all here. Is something wrong? If something's wrong I want my family to hear it with me." Bella smiled inside at the thought of him including her as 'family.'

"Ok" said Coach. "There's been a change in the seedings. It's going to change the pairings for the semi-finals and final."

"What do you mean?" Edward felt his chest tighten.

Coach showed them a paper with the new seedings on it. For Bella's benefit, he explained that the seedings, a list of rankings, were usually determined by the performance at the last competition, but the committee had decided to change them based on the performance at yesterday's preliminaries. The seedings determined who would skate against whom.

"But this means…" Edward stared at the paper and then lifted his head to look at his coach. "This means if we all get through the first race, then Jacob and Garrett would meet in one semi-final, and James and I would race in the other."

"Yes" answered Coach. "Instead of meeting him in the final, you'll skate against him in the semi-final."

Edward turned and pounded his fist against the wall.

"But Coach, doesn't that mean…" Carlisle started, but Edward cut him off before he could finish.

"That's exactly what it means. Whoever wins this semi-final makes the final pair." Edward grimaced. "It means only one of us will make the Olympic team."

A/N – Back again with the usual disclaimers – all things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer. Thanks for sticking with this story – I hope you are still enjoying it! Things are getting a little rough, but stay with me.


	17. Chapter 17

**Life's A Beach**

 **Chapter 17**

 **A/N: This chapter is really long – almost two chapters worth – but there wasn't a good place to split it. You'll see what I mean! Enjoy!**

Alice rushed through the doors to the arena. She spotted Bella where she stood with Edward's family and Coach. Giving everyone a quick smile, she grabbed Bella's arm and pulled her away from the group. "Is everything okay? You didn't call me after I sent you the text message about the….you know what."

"I couldn't, Alice. I was with Edward and I didn't want him to hear us and get upset. But then this all happened and he's upset anyway." Bella shifted so that Esme and Carlisle wouldn't hear their conversation. Edward was talking to Coach, tugging on his hair in a way that told her just how frustrated he was. Bella's heart twisted to see him so upset, especially when he had to focus on his races today.

"What happened?" Alice stood on her toes, trying to peek around Bella to see what was going on. Instead, Bella put her hands on her hips and blocked Alice's view.

"They changed the order around, so now Edward will have to race against James in the semi-final." Bella looked up to see Emmett, Rose and Jasper coming toward them. Their puzzled looks told her they'd heard what she said.

"But I thought they were going to meet in the final. Does that mean…" Emmett started. Bella shushed him and pushed them all around the corner.

"I don't want Edward to hear us talking about this." She moved closer and lowered her voice. "That means only one of them gets through to the final and makes the Olympic team."

Jasper whistled, long and low. "Oh brother. That raises the stakes, doesn't it? And I don't trust that guy to begin with. Allie, what's wrong?"

"It's just like my dream" said Alice.

"What happened in your dream" Bella asked her. "What, Alice?"

"I saw Edward on the ice, I mean, just lying on the ice. And you were crying. I don't know what happened or why" said Alice, near tears herself. "Isn't there anything we can do?" Bella's face was as white as a sheet.

"Hey, maybe it's not bad at all" said Emmett. "Maybe he wins, and he's like tired, so he's lying on the ice, and you're crying because you're happy and…."

"Shut up, Emmett" shouted Rose, Jasper, Alice and Bella, all at once.

"I was just tryin' to…."

Rose smacked him on the back of the head. "You – go find our seats and wait there." Emmett shot Bella an apologetic look and headed for the steps to the arena.

"Maybe Emmett's right" said Bella quietly. "I have to have faith in Edward. He knows what he's doing."

She felt an arm wrap around her shoulder and turned to see Esme's smile.

"I'm sorry" said Esme. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop. But I know Edward, and I know you. And I know that if you have faith in him, he can do anything." She gave Bella a warm hug. "Now go wish him luck before he has to get ready. He's waiting for you." She gave her a little push. "Go. I'm going to greet the boys and introduce myself to your friends." Esme gave Jasper a hug. "Now Jasper, you tell me who these beautiful young ladies are."

Bella, feeling a bit lighter, put a smile on her face before she rounded the corner. Edward, Carlisle, and Coach turned in her direction. She walked right up to Coach and wagged her finger at him. "I came to give my man a kiss for luck, and don't you tell me I can't, Coach."

Coach grinned, his first grin of the morning. "Who am I to argue with you, Miss Swan? Go right ahead. Carlisle, I'll talk to you after." He pointed at Edward. "Five minutes. I want you in that locker room in five minutes with a smile on your face."

Carlisle gave Bella's arm a squeeze and headed to find Esme and the others. Coach opened the door to the locker room and disappeared inside.

Edward pulled Bella into his arms. "A kiss for luck, huh?"

Bella wrapped her arms around his neck and smirked at him. "Since you don't need any luck, maybe you don't need a kiss."

"Oh I definitely need a kiss" Edward said, pulling her close and pressing his lips to hers. It was a long, lingering kiss. He rubbed his hands up and down her arms, and tucked gentle kisses up her neck. The he took a long slow breath and held her face in his hands. "Is everything okay?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Bella kept a smile on her face. There was no way she was telling him about Alice.

Edward sighed and rested his forehead against hers. "I'm not happy about the change. It's not fair to start with, and it's just going to make James even crazier. Win or lose." He tucked her under his chin and kissed the top of her head. "But it's okay. I'm going to skate my race and I have every intention of winning."

"I know you will" said Bella. "I know it."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence" he said. "Now I guess I better go. My parents are sitting with you, right?"

"Yup. They've already headed upstairs with everybody." She didn't want to let go of him, but she knew he needed to get changed and start to focus. She was getting used to his pre-race routine.

They kissed one more time. "I'll see you after the final race" said Edward confidently before releasing her and heading into the locker room.

Bella made her way up the stairs to their seats. Alice looked a little less panic stricken, which was a good thing, but the grim looks on everyone's faces told her that they'd been talking about the situation.

"Edward's getting ready. He feels good, and it's going to be a great day." Bella stared at everyone, daring them to disagree with her. "I think Emmett was right."

"That's right" he shouted, brandishing his pink cast.

"Okay, calm down" said Rosalie. "And put that thing away before you hurt someone with it." Her comment broke the tension, and they all had a good laugh.

 **LaB**

Edward stood at the starting line in race position, waiting for the starter to give the signal. He'd raced against Erik Yorkie before, but it had been a while. Clearly, the guy had gotten way better if he made it to this race. No way was Edward taking him for granted. He knew he had to be careful to keep his thoughts focused on this race, or there would be no semi-final to worry about.

James had acted like a complete idiot in the locker room, jumping around and bragging about how he was going to do today. The change in the seedings didn't bother him at all, which made both Edward and Coach suspicious. Edward watched as James won his first race of the day, so he was definitely moving on to the semi-final. Now Edward just had to secure the other spot.

A few minutes later, the first race of his day was done. Edward had beaten Yorkie by a decent margin, pushing himself just enough to win but not depleting his energy. The semi-final was going to take everything he had. He shook hands with Yorkie and went over to join Coach. Much to his dismay, James was there too.

"Decent race, Cullen. Hope you've got something left in the tank for our match, or this is gonna be really boring. I mean, I wouldn't want to beat you by too much with your girl watching." James taunted his rival and training partner. "Of course, once I win and I'm the one heading to the Olympics, maybe she'll want to be with me instead." He winked at Edward knowingly.

Edward almost gave in to the urge to just beat the crap out of the guy, but he could see Coach signaling him to stay calm. It was just like James to try to get him riled up before the race, causing him to spend precious energy and lose focus. It wasn't going to work.

"You skate your race and I'll skate mine, Tracker, and we'll decide it on the ice." Edward turned his back on James and willed himself to calm down. He thought about Bella, thought about that long, slow kiss this morning, and slowed his breathing down. He shook out his arms and legs, and grabbed a drink. He wanted to look up to the stands, to see Bella, his friends, and his parents, but instead he moved away and worked on regaining focus. He went over the race in his head, every bend in the track, every groove in the ice, seeing himself skating, taking the crossover, and finally winning. Confident that he had done everything he could to prepare, he nodded to Coach and waited.

Up in the stands, Emmett was keeping everyone entertained, as usual. He even had Alice laughing, which Bella was glad to see. She knew that sometimes Alice dreamt about the same thing two or three days in a row, with the ending changing each time.

Jasper spoke up, breaking her concentration. "Hey everyone, when this is over, y'all should think about heading back to the beach with me and Alice. We can have a celebration at the bar."

"That sounds great, Jas" said Bella, thinking how great it would be to go back to her happy place. She could envision not only a party, but maybe a private picnic on the beach, just her and…

"Look" shouted Rosalie. "It's time for the first semi-final."

They all turned to look as Jacob and Garrett lined up at the start. The crowd erupted in noisy cheers as they took off, each skater falling into a mesmerizing rhythm. Jacob started on the outside lanes, which meant that he had further to skate initially, so Garrett took an early lead. They watched as the skaters approached the crossover, where Garrett moved to the outside and Jacob moved to the inside.

Emmett frowned. "It wasn't even close" he said. "I thought it was gonna be a lot closer when they had to cross."

Rosalie nearly smacked him again. "We told you it wasn't going to be close. It's just the way these things work. No one is going to crash into anyone else."

"I know" he whined "but it would be exciting."

"Shut it, Emmett" said Bella. "There's only two more races and Edward is going to be in both of them. So a crash would mean…"

Bella froze and she and Alice stared at each other. The dream. All of a sudden, Bella could see exactly how this could happen.

It must have been reflected on her face because Esme grabbed her by the shoulders. "Edward is too smart a skater to let that happen" Esme said sternly. "Put that thought right out of your head." She looked around at all of them. "Edward needs confidence right now. We need to all send positive thoughts his way." They all nodded solemnly before turning their attention back to the race. As they watched, Jacob began to pull away and won the first semi-final. A roar erupted from the crowd as they cheered the first new member of the Olympic team.

 **LaB**

Edward allowed his skates to slide to within a few inches of the start line. Everything he did from this moment on would be a controlled movement, designed to get the maximum power, strength and agility from his body. He refused to look at his opponent as James moved to the line, all flash and sass.

"You know, Cullen" James said in a low voice "this is going to be the pinnacle of my career, at least until the Olympics."

Edward ignored him, positioning his skates exactly where he wanted them.

"My dad got the seedings changed, you know. Because I asked him to." James started to move his feet into position. "If we'd left it alone, you and I would both go to the Games. But that isn't what I want. I want you left home, got it? Your little girlfriend can console you, and I'll send you a postcard."

The starter called them to their places, and suddenly the race was underway. James, in the inside lane went out fast, as Edward knew he would. Edward paced himself on the outside and settled into his first lap rhythm. Muscle memory went to work, moving his arms and legs in perfect coordination.

Up in the stands, Bella grasped Esme's hand on one side and Rosalie's on the other. She bounced in place and resisted the urge to call out.

"Why is he hanging back?" asked Emmett. "He needs to go after him."

Carlisle responded. "He knows what he's doing. He's setting the pace he wants. It just looks like James is faster because he's on the inside."

They watched, unable to take their eyes off the track as the two men battled for position. They were skating so hard, pushing each other, so evenly matched it was hard to predict who would have enough left at the end to pull this off. Bella bit her lip as the final lap started and they headed to the last crossover. She realized, at the same time as everyone else, that the two skaters were going to hit the crossover point at exactly the same time.

"Oh crap" said Emmett "they aren't really going to crash, are they?"

"They can't" answered Carlisle. "The rules say that James has to allow Edward to cross first. He'll adjust."

"He better" murmured Bella.

The crowd gasped as one as the two skaters appeared to converge. James never stopped. He took the crossover first, cutting Edward off. Edward did his best to avoid him and the seemingly inevitable collision, but the effort threw him off balance and he skidded across the ice. He landed on his hip and slid into the protective mats around the track. James darted ahead. While Coach ran to Edward, James crossed the finish line and raised his hands in triumph. He pointed to Edward and then proceeded to take a leisurely victory lap.

In the stands Bella screamed as Edward hit the ice. Tears began to run down her face, first out of worry for the man she loved, and then in frustration as she knew what his sportsmanship had cost him. Alice began to cry softly next to her, while Rosalie and Emmett screamed at James and the officials. Carlisle shot a quick look at Esme and ran for the steps that would take him down to the ice.

Down on the ice, people went crazy. James continued skating around the ice, waving to the crowd, and occasionally blowing kisses. Edward slowly got to his feet, and the crowd applauded like mad. They were stunned by what they had just seen, and most were horrified by the unfairness of it all. Even Jacob gestured wildly to his coach and all but stomped his skate on the track.

Bella took a deep shuddering breath as Edward started to slowly skate around while medical personnel tried to check on him. "Please let him be okay" she whispered, relieved beyond measure that he was moving well. She watched as he pushed his hood off. The look on his face was somewhere between anguish and anger. "This is so unfair" she choked out. "It just ends like this?"

Esme looked unusually calm, considering the circumstances. "Wait."

While her friends continued to scream at anyone and everyone on the track, Bella followed Esme's gaze to where Carlisle emerged onto the side of the track, making his way to Edward. He walked to his son, and placing both hands on Edward's arms, asked him a series of questions. Edward shook his head to indicate that he understood what his father was asking him. They embraced, and the crowd clapped politely, most people too upset to do much else.

The head official walked to a microphone. "If I can have your attention, please." He waited a minute, but the crowd didn't seem to settle. "After consulting with the other officials, the Olympic committee, and the coach for both skaters, it has been determined that an improper crossover directly interfered with Mr. Cullen's path and caused him to fall. However, since he did not finish the race, James Tracker is declared the winner and will advance to the final."

While the crowd jeered and booed, Carlisle and Edward joined Coach Banner, and the three of them spoke quietly for a few minutes as the members of the Olympic team selection committee and the officials for the event converged on them. A heated discussion began, and the crowd went quiet, watching as Carlisle went head to head with the top official. Finally, Coach produced a small book from his bag and handed it to Carlisle, who thumbed to a page in the middle and pointed it out to the official.

"What are they doing?" asked Bella.

"Watch and see" said Esme.

The head official approached the microphone again. "My apologies. The official rules for national level competitions contain a provision that allows a skater who has been interfered with to request a reskate. Mr. Cullen and his coach have formally requested this, and it has been approved. Please clear the ice and prepare for a reskate."

The crowd gasped as one, then broke into applause. James began to argue with Coach and with the officials, but they paid him no mind. Still, Bella thought it was odd that he wasn't making any attempt to move onto the ice. Edward, on the other hand, was checking his skates, putting his hood back on and conversing quietly with his father.

"I don't get it" said Jasper. "Why's Tracker not on the ice?"

"Because he doesn't have to skate again" said Esme. "A reskate means that Edward skates, by himself, to try and beat James' time."

Bella spun around, furious. "That's not fair! He's exhausted. He put everything he had into that race. He fell and hurt his hip. We don't even know how hurt he is." Angry tears began to fall now. "And even I know that the skaters push each other to go faster. Without anyone out there to push him, he doesn't have a chance."

Emmett, of all people, was the one who grabbed her, tipped up her chin, and looked her square in the eyes. "You are the one who has always had faith in him. You are his biggest fan, and the woman he loves. If you think he can do it, then we'll make him believe he can do it." To everyone's surprise, he leaned over the railing, banged his cast on it in rhythm, and shouted "Ed-ward, Ed-ward!"

Bella stepped up to the rail and shouted with all her might. Alice, Rosalie, and Jasper joined in, along with Esme. Soon the whole arena picked up the chant.

Edward looked up when he heard the sound. Amazed, he just turned his head from side to side and watched as the crowd chanted his name. Carlisle stepped up to him, and pointed to the section where Bella and the group were chanting his name while Emmett jumped around like an oversized cheerleader. His eyes met Bella's and something electric passed between them. He watched as she mouthed the words he most longed to hear. He mouthed them back to her. "I love you!" Edward waved to the crowd and bent down to say one last thing to Carlisle. "I'm going to do this."

Carlisle hugged him and stepped back. "I know you are." He turned to Esme and gave her a thumbs up.

Coach spoke to him for a few seconds, and then it was time. Tracker stood smugly nearby. Edward ignored him and focused. He didn't see that Jacob, Garrett, Mike, Erik, and all the other skaters who had benefitted from Edward's kindness were lined up along the track.

The started signaled and Edward pushed off. He made himself concentrate. It was like practice, he told himself. He was used to setting a certain pace during practice and he would just have to do that here. He made it through the first lap and saw Coach holding up a white board with the time written on it. Five seconds too slow! He needed to pick up the pace, but without someone skating next to him, it was difficult to know how fast to go without burning out. He'd been skating hard in that race, before James pulled that stupid stunt and his legs were starting to shake with the exertion. He felt his hand dropping onto his back, a sure sign of exhaustion. Without the big arm swings, he would never be able to keep up the pace. He forced himself back into form.

Edward could hear the cheers of the crowd, but now he heard something else, something closer. He was going too fast to pick out faces, but he knew it was the other skaters. He heard Mike's voice shouting at him to pick it up. Jacob screamed about his stride. The whiteboard was coming up again – only two seconds off! Images flashed through his head. His father, and the love and support he'd shown him. His mother, pushing the two of them back together. Bella, the love of his life, his inspiration. His friends. Edward reached somewhere deep inside and skated with every ounce of power he had left. He crossed the finish line and fell onto the ice, sprawling on his back. He'd given it everything he could and now he waited to hear whether it had been enough.

Bella screamed and jumped into Alice's arms, tears running down her face. Rosalie and Emmett whooped with glee and Jasper hugged Esme. On the ice Carlisle jumped in the air like a little boy, and threw his arms around Coach. Lying there on the ice, Edward heard the cheers and hoped beyond hope that he knew what they meant. He turned his head, saw his dad and coach both giving him two thumbs up. The emotions of the day caught up with him, and Edward burst into tears of joy.


	18. Chapter 18

Life's A Beach

Chapter 18

 **A/N – Whew! Thanks to everyone for the feedback on the last chapter. I know I haven't been posting too often, but I really want to get this story finished before the actual 2018 Olympic Games. That's the goal, so I'll do my best to get the updates out more quickly. Thanks for staying with it.**

 **The last time we saw them, everyone was in tears – happy tears, that is!**

 **As always, Ms. Meyer owns everything associated with Twilight and just lets us play with her characters.**

LAB

After all the emotion of the semi-final race, the actual final seemed anti-climactic. Edward faced off against Jacob Black for the American championship, already knowing that he'd made the Olympic team. He didn't want to disappoint anyone, but truly, there was nothing left in the tank. He'd given everything he had in the reskate. As the two skaters lined up at the start, Edward looked over to Jacob.

"Go for it, Jake. You're on fire today. Set a new record." Edward grinned. "I'll get to the finish line eventually."

Jacob laughed and bumped fists with his competitor and Olympic teammate. "I'll see you at the finish. Then we've got some serious training to do over the next few weeks. Since we're gonna take the gold and silver at the Olympics."

Edward grinned back at him. They took their positions and the race started. Edward skated better than he expected, but Jacob bested him. The crowd, thrilled with what they'd seen today, gave both skaters a standing ovation.

"Ladies and gentlemen, your 2018 Olympic skaters, Jacob Black and Edward Cullen." The applause was tremendous. Jacob and Edward embraced quickly and waved to the crowd. Someone handed them each an American flag and they took a victory lap holding them.

Coach came over, his smile a mile wide, and hugged Edward. "I've never been prouder of you. You skated like a true champion today. A champion and a sportsman, in the truest sense of the word. Now hang in there for a few minutes more. You've got some media interviews to do."

"James?" Edward huffed out, still a bit winded from the race. Now that the adrenaline was fading his hip was beginning to ache and while he was pretty sure there was no actual damage, he knew he'd have a hell of a bruise. The last thing he wanted was a confrontation with the man who tried so unfairly to end his Olympic dream – and possibly his skating career. Edward shuddered when he thought about how badly he might have been injured. He was never more grateful for the thick crash pads lining the rink.

"Under arrest" said Coach, with a grin. He knew he'd never have to coach James Tracker again, and he couldn't be happier. "As if he wasn't in enough trouble with the committee, James took a swing at one of the officials, nearly broke the guy's jaw. Security immediately took him out of here in handcuffs." He chuckled as he looked at Edward's stunned expression. "His father won't be able to save him this time."

"His father…" Edward turned quickly, scouring the area for his own father, and spotted Carlisle standing by the side of the track. "I've got to talk to my father."

Coach gave him a little push and Edward skated to his father, who immediately wrapped him in a huge hug. "Dad" Edward choked out, gulping away new tears. "If you hadn't protested, if you didn't know about that rule, about the difference in the rules for nationals…."

Carlisle felt a few tears fall from his own eyes. "You did the hard part, son, and you were – are – a true champion. Now you get a chance to live both our dreams." They heard the snaps of the cameras surrounding them, but neither moved to end their embrace. Finally, both wiping their eyes, they moved apart.

Reporters and TV sports analysts stood around them. A woman from ESPN put a microphone in front of him and asked the obvious question. "Edward, what's your reaction to the unbelievable events today? What's your response to what your semi-final opponent tried to do?"

Edward tried to be as diplomatic as possible. "It was an unfortunate situation, the way the crossover happened. I'm just grateful for the opportunity I had for a reskate, thanks to Coach Banner and my father, and of course the rules officials."

The reporter wasn't about to let it go that easy. She pushed a little closer. "But you were clearly interfered with. Would you say it was intentional?"

Edward had no intention of answering that question and looked to Coach for help. Coach stepped forward and did his best to change the direction of the questions but the reporter wasn't giving up. "Edward, what…." Just then, Edward caught sight of the one person he most needed to see.

"Excuse me" he said, all but shoving the reporter out of his path as Bella ran to him. He was already a foot taller than her, and with his skates, he was taller still. He picked her up and held her to him, then buried his head in her shoulder. Despite his best efforts, the tears started to flow again.

Bella just held on to him tightly, her own tears running down her cheeks. "I knew you could do it. I was so angry for you, but I never stopped believing in you." He pulled his head away from her shoulder and did what he'd wanted to do since the first race of the day. His tipped his head to hers and kissed her, pressing his lips against hers gently at first, then more firmly. The rest of the crowd faded into the background. They were both lost in the connection, both feeling complete, whole, and relieved.

A piercing noise quieted the reporters, skaters, coaches, and fans. Edward spun around, Bella still pressed against his chest, only to see Emmett with his pink cast, somehow managing to get his fingers in his mouth to let out another loud wolf whistle. "Yeah, Edward!" Everyone in the crowd around them clapped loudly. Bella blushed, making Edward laugh as he set her back on her feet. Happy to see that everyone made it down to the ice, he hugged his mother, then Alice, Rosalie, and both Jasper and Emmett.

An hour later, after posing for pictures with Jacob, and answering a few more less volatile questions from the reporters, Edward was finally able to head home. "I've got a room reserved and food waiting at the hotel" said Esme, reaching up to tenderly brush the hair from her son's forehead. "You must be starving."

"The heck with him. I'm starving" said Emmett. "Good job, Mama C." Esme laughed, and Rosalie slapped Emmett on the side of his head.

"I meant Edward, but of course you are all welcome." Esme squeezed her son's hand. "We've got some celebrating to do." They went outside and piled into the waiting cars, leaving Bella to wait while Edward changed.

A few minutes later, Jacob and Edward exited the locker room. Edward took Bella's hand. "I'll see you in the next couple of days, Jake."

"Sure, sure" said Jake. "Get some rest and ice that hip."

"Congratulations, Jake" said Bella, reaching out to shake his hand. Jacob pulled her in for a quick hug, smirking at Edward as he did.

"You're a lucky man, Cullen" said Jake as he released her. "I wish I had someone like that cheering for me."

"I know exactly how lucky I am" said Edward and kissed the top of Bella's hair as he wrapped his arm around her. "Believe me, I do."

LAB

As much as he had wanted to celebrate last night, the truth was that he spent most of the night lying on his side with an ice pack on his hip while Bella slept curled up next to him. That gave him all night to think about what he wanted to do…what he needed to do next. He had five weeks until he would leave for the Olympic games. The plan began to form in his mind. Unable to wait till morning, he snuck into the bathroom at 5 AM and called his parents to set things in to motion. After some profuse apologies on his part for waking them up, his mom and dad – especially his mom – were on board with his plan. Carlisle promised to take care of it right away. Edward tried to go back to bed, but just lay there for three more hours, scheming and dreaming. He played gently with Bella's hair and murmured gentle words of love in her ear. When she finally woke, they held each other and shared at least a million kisses. Then he called his coach at a much more reasonable hour while Bella was drying her hair. Edward only had to beg a little to get coach onboard with his plans as well.

Bella and Edward joined everyone in the room Esme had reserved for their meals. Edward kissed his mother, looked at his father questioningly, and got the response he needed. He stretched out in a chair as everyone made their way to the buffet to get breakfast. Now he was ready to share his plans. He tapped a few buttons on his phone to forward the message his father sent him, and watched as everyone's phones buzzed, beeped, and played music. As he planned, they all grabbed their phones to look at his message.

Jasper figured it out first. "Edward, are these…why are you sending us plane tickets?" They all looked at him, their faces a mixture of excitement, confusion, and hope.

"Oh yeah" yelled Emmett. "We're going to the Olympic Games! Korea, here we come!" Alice squealed, and Bella and Rosalie hugged.

"There's actually two sets of tickets" said Edward, enjoying everyone's reaction. "The first set is to Korea for the Games, and that's courtesy of my mom and dad."

They all turned to see a grinning Carlisle, his armed wrapped around Esme. "You're Edward's cheering section. Of course we want you there."

"But Mr. C…" started Rosalie.

He cut her off. "No discussion. It's the least we can do." Carlisle frowned, bowed his head and then looked at Esme. He reached over and grabbed Edward's hand. "You all were there for Edward when I wasn't. And for that I will be forever in your debt. This is nothing but a thank you. To all of you."

Jasper was still staring at his phone. He scrolled down a bit, read the rest of the message, and raised his head, a wide grin on his face. "The second ticket. We're going home?"

Edward grinned back at him. "We are. My hip hurts like a bitch and I can't think of anything that would make it feel better than sitting in the warm sand on the beach."

Emmett and Rosalie yelped with glee while Alice jumped up and did a little dance on the table. Bella threw her arms around Edward and reached up to give him a smacking kiss on the cheek. What she really wanted to do wasn't suitable in front of his parents. Edward, however, had no such reservations. He spun her around, only wincing a bit, and then bent her backwards and kissed her long and hard. When he stood her up again, everyone, including his parents, clapped and whistled. Bella felt the warmth flood her cheeks. What she didn't expect was that Edward's cheeks would be just as red. He grinned sheepishly, then whispered in her ear. "Besides, I have something I want to do, and it can only be done on the beach. You'll see."


	19. Chapter 19

Life's A Beach

Chapter 19

A/N Here we are, back on Hilton Head Island for a little break before the Games begin. Some of you were pretty sure you knew what was coming…so let's get on with it.

As always, everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer, including some of the wonderful dialog she lets us all borrow.

* * *

The crowd at Jasper's Pub was even rowdier than usual tonight. Ever since Jasper let it be known that speed skating sensation and future Olympic medal winner Edward Cullen would be at the bar, the locals, the vacationers, and everyone else currently on the island came pouring in to grab a table.

"You know, Edward, I don't think you ever packed 'em in like this to hear you sing." Jasper tried to look innocent. "Maybe we should take away your guitar and just have you skate around the room or something."

"No way in hell, Jasper" Edward replied. He was tucked into a corner table, his leg propped up on a nearby chair and his arm tightly wrapped around Bella's shoulder. It seemed like every person he'd ever met in Hilton Head, and lots of others he was sure he'd never met all wanted to shake his hand. Rosalie and Jasper were working the bar as Alice took orders. Emmett with his pink cast was supposed to be opening beers and filling up sodas, things he swore he could do one handed, but instead he was spending most of the time doing a play-by-play of the race that had put Edward on the Olympic team to anyone who would listen.

"And then" said Emmett "then Edward smashed that no good son of a…" Rosalie smacked him with the bar towel causing him to bump his cast on the bar and knock over a container full of lemon and lime wedges. "Just like that" he yelled, sweeping his hand over the destruction he'd caused. "Just like that he slammed James across the ice and…"

"Emmett!" Edward, Bella, and Rosalie shouted at the same time. "Edward didn't hit anyone" corrected Rosalie. "But he did win the race and we are going to the Olympics!" Everyone listening roared their approval.

"It sounded better the way I told it" pouted Emmett.

"Of course it did." Rosalie kissed him square on the lips. "You know I love you, though heaven knows why some times."

Bella kissed Edward on the cheek. "Can you excuse me for a couple of minutes? I'll be right back." She slid around the table and made her way across the bar toward the ladies room.

When she was out of sight, Alice slid into the seat next to Edward. "So….." she said slowly. "What happens now? Are you gonna…" She stopped mid-sentence when Jasper came up from behind her and kissed her on the neck.

"No bothering the poor man" said Jasper. "Can't you tell he's as nervous as a kitten in a house full of hound dogs?" He pushed Alice toward the bar. "Can you take my spot at the bar for a few minutes darlin' while I do some business with Edward here?" Alice sighed but joined Rosalie behind the bar. She glared once at Jasper then went to work making some kind of crazy looking drink for the next customer in line. "Now that she's out of earshot, are you gonna…"

"Stop it" groaned Edward. "If you tell Alice, she'll tell Rose, and they'll both tell Bella. And don't get me started on what Emmett would do."

"Alright, man" said Jasper. "I guess I see your point. But that thing you asked me to hide is in my office. You let me know what you want to do with it."

"Just what I said before. You got that little cooler? I want two of those little champagne bottles I know you keep in the back room and that special cheese plate thing she likes. I'll get it when we leave."

"On it, boss" said Jasper, giving Edward a mock salute. "And not a minute too soon."

"A minute too soon for what?" Bella peeked over Jasper's shoulders.

"Jasper's working up a surprise for Alice" Edward told her. He put his finger to her lips. "Be very quiet."

"Yes I am" said Jasper "and I'd best get to it." He stood and let Bella take his chair.

"Should I even ask?" said Bella.

Edward leaned over and kissed her, then settled for running his fingers through a stray curl that slipped out of her ponytail. "Nope, my lips are sealed."

Bella leaned back and shot him a look that would melt ice. "I hope they aren't sealed too tight" she said in a sultry voice. "I have plans for those lips."

Edward shook his head to clear the images popping into his brain. "Oh, you really shouldn't have said that…"

"Can I have your autograph?" A voice squealed near Bella's ear, and two girls with the requisite long blond hair leaned over her. "Please?" Bella leaned back and rolled her eyes as she gestured for them to go ahead.

Edward turned absolutely pink. He smiled, grabbed the cocktail napkins the girls held out to him, and signed them. When they left, he grimaced. "Sorry about that. Speed skaters usually don't get that kind of attention. I'm not used to it."

"That's alright" she replied. "As long as I'm the one you go home with." She had no idea what kind of images that put in his mind. Images of coming home, to a place they shared, a place full of love and laughter and happiness. If he wasn't sure before, he was now.

"Take a walk with me?" He stood and held out his hand to her. Rose saw him, and quickly turned Emmett around and kissed him so he wouldn't notice or bother Edward and Bella as they left. Jasper stood by the little hallway that led to the back door and handed Edward the cooler as he passed by.

"We'll be back in a little bit" Edward said to his cousin. "Try to keep things under control till we get back." He winked as Jasper held the door open for them.

"Should we take Aro with us?" asked Bella, stopping to pet the sweet dog as they made their way down the back steps.

"Not this time" said Edward. "The water's a little too cold for him to knock you on your butt again. And I'm not quite up for chasing him if he takes off. Jasper said he'll walk him a bit later."

"Okay" she said, and slipped her hand into his as they reached the sand and headed up the beach. She reveled in the warm feel of his fingers intertwined with hers. It meant, well, everything. Comfort, and love, and happiness, all tied up in one. She leaned into his side as they walked. The moon was big and beautiful, casting beams of white light across the sand. Before too long they reached a quiet spot that Edward had scoped out earlier in the day.

He spread out the little quilt Jasper handed him as they left, and set the cooler on one corner. He motioned for Bella to sit, then sat next to her so their legs were touching.

"A picnic?" Bella asked, looking at him curiously.

"Just a little time to ourselves" Edward replied. "I love the gang, but they can be a little overwhelming 24/7." He opened the cooler carefully and took out the container of cheese and tidbits, placing it in front of her on the quilt. He held up one finger to show her he wasn't done, and pulled out two plastic champagne flutes. He took the little bottle of champagne and twisted the top off.

"I'm not sure I've ever had champagne that came with a screw top instead of a cork" Bella giggled.

"Hush, you. You know champagne isn't exactly the specialty at Jasper's place." He poured some in each glass. "Be glad this isn't ginger ale."

They sat for a few minutes, nibbling on the snacks and toasting each other with the champagne, which, Bella had to admit, was very romantic. Finally, Edward took the glass from her hand and planted it carefully in the sand, anchoring his own glass next to it. He put the empty plate back in the cooler, after a quick glance to make sure Jasper had put in everything he requested. When he turned back to Bella, his breath caught in his throat. Sitting there with the moonlight reflecting on the sand, the sound of the gentle waves playing musically in the background, he thought he had never seen anything more beautiful than this woman he'd grown to love so much in such a short time. Kneeling on the quilt in front of her, he took both of her hands in his. He felt very much like he did before a big race - heart pounding, adrenaline rushing through him, a little edge of fear perhaps. He so wanted to get this right, to make her understand the depth of his feelings for her.

Bella stared into Edward's eyes and felt her own fill with tears. How had she found this wonderful man, and how was it that she knew, from almost the moment she saw him, that there was a connection, an amazing connection between them. She squeezed his hands gently, hoping he could sense what she was feeling.

"Bella" Edward started "I…I wanted to tell you how I feel about you. How I've felt about you every day, since the very first day I saw you." He chuckled. "Even though you were flat on your ass in the sand, you…you were glowing. You weren't angry, you were just happy, and funny, and I think I knew right then that something very special was happening. That somehow, that goofy puppy had found the one person on that whole beach who…who fit the other half of my soul." He reached out and wiped a tear from Bella's cheek. "Don't cry, beautiful girl."

"They're happy tears, Edward. I knew from the moment I saw you too, even with my hair in my eyes and sand and salt water everywhere." They both laughed.

"Bella, somehow you understood me from that first moment. You were with me for some of the lowest lows and the highest highs. You never doubted me. Somehow, your friends and my friends became our friends, and even more, our family." He wiped a tear from his own cheek. "When you said tonight that you wanted to be the one I came home to, I thought my heart was going to burst open right then." He pulled her hands to his chest, and set them over his heart. "You are my home, Bella. The only home I will ever want and the only home I will ever need. I love you, sweet girl, with all my heart."

Bella rose up on her knees and kissed him gently. "And I love you, with all my heart. You are the kindest, most wonderful, most loving man I have ever known. My home."

Edward kissed her hands, looked straight into her eyes, and took a deep breath. "Isabella Marie Swan, no measure of time with you will ever be enough, but let's start with forever. Bella, my love…my home…will you marry me?"

Bella threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. "Yes, of course Edward. Of course I'll marry you."

After some long, tender kisses, Edward gently pulled away and reached into the cooler. There he found the little box he'd given his friend for safekeeping earlier in the day. He opened the box and held it out to her. "This was my grandmother's ring. The diamond reminds me of the light you've brought into my life. The platinum band reminds me of how strong you are, and the smaller stones remind me of the way our friends and family surround us, because they love you as much as I do."

Bella held out a shaky hand. "I would be so honored to wear your grandmother's ring, Edward. Family and friends mean everything to me. You are my family, and you are my best friend."

"Bella…" he sighed, pulling her close and kissing her with all the passion he had. It didn't matter what else happened in his life, he was sure he would never feel any happier than he did right now.

They held each other in the moonlight, sharing tender kisses and happy sighs. Eventually, it was time to head back and they made their way back up the beach. They stopped for a moment to take in the scene. Music was playing, and they could hear laughter. Through the window, they could see their friends working the bar together. With a quick squeeze of their hands, they walked up to the door. No sooner had they stepped into the back hallway then the bar went completely quiet.

"What happened?" Bella asked Edward, and he simply shrugged his shoulders. It was like someone had blocked out all the sound. Cautiously, not knowing what to expect, they walked down the hallway and into the bar. Everyone stood, frozen, staring at them. Alice and Rosalie were leaning over the bar, Jasper and Emmett had stopped in the middle of clearing a table, and all eyes were facing their way.

"Oh for Pete's sake" said Bella, holding up her hand. "I said yes!" The place exploded with cheers and laughter, and all was right with the world.


	20. Chapter 20

Life's A Beach

Chapter 20

 **A/N – Thanks for all the nice responses to Edward's proposal! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Now…onto the Olympics. I wasn't sure I could write another race and do it justice, so I hope you'll like this.**

 **All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer – I'm just putting her characters on skates.**

In the end, it was all a blur. The Opening Ceremonies, the training, the physical therapy, more training, watching the other long and short track races. Sneaking away from the Olympic Village to find time to be with Bella, taking the opportunity to watch the world's best athletes with his family and friends. They managed to watch snowboarding, curling, and even some of the early ice skating. Edward and Bella promised themselves to take in as much as possible since it was likely the only time they would have this opportunity. They didn't dwell on his event, or his chances, and tried to ignore most of the TV coverage. Their only regret was that they had to be separated at night, Bella in her hotel and Edward in the athlete's dormitory, each wishing they were holding the other.

Now Edward stood, skates positioned carefully on the starting line, for what would be the last race of his Olympic career. Only a few minutes before, he and Coach talked strategy, positioning, and tactics. He'd made it to the final round, but his times had just been enough to keep him in the top five or six skaters. It wasn't until this moment that he admitted to himself how much he wanted a medal. He didn't care what color it was – gold, silver or bronze – but he really wanted to bring home a medal. He wanted it so much it hurt.

"You've got about 3 minutes to get your head together" said Coach, as they watched two skaters complete their race. Neither posted times that would put them anywhere near the top. Edward's opponent hovered nearby, a well-known speed skater whose times so far hinted of his potential but put him in the middle of the pack. The skaters with the best times in the preliminary races would skate three or four pairs after them. The odds of being in medal position weren't in his favor, thought Edward, but he knew that competitions didn't always turn out the way everyone predicted.

The man who'd trained him for so many years took Edward's face in his hands and looked him straight in the eyes.

"You can do this, Edward. You have the power, the strength, and most of all the heart to do this."

Edward nodded, and took a quick glance up into the stands. He could see Bella, wearing one of his team jackets, with a huge red, white and blue bow wrapped around her ponytail. His parents stood on either side of her, and he silently thanked them for their unwavering support. Then there was Emmett, waving a flag in his good hand while holding his cast – now done up to look like a flag. He allowed himself a quick smile, then pulled the hood up over his hair and blocked out everything but the feel of his blades on the ice and his muscles, tensed and ready to explode.

In the stands, Bella kissed her engagement ring for luck and then grabbed Alice's hand and held on with all her might. Rosalie stood in back of her, hands on Bella's shoulders, trying to keep her friend from tumbling down the bleachers as she jumped up and down.

The electronic signal beeped and they were off, the sound of their blades scraping the ice as they fought to gain momentum.

"That was a good start, wasn't it?" Bella shouted into Carlisle's ear.

"It was a damn good start" he shouted back. He wondered, for one brief second, what had ever possessed him to think this wasn't a good idea. This moment, watching his son compete for the United States in a sport that both father and son loved, was one of the most precious moments of his life.

By the time they hit the first crossover, Edward knew that he had never skated faster in his life. His opponent went out fast – incredibly fast - and Edward kept pace with him. For one thousandth of a second, he wondered if he could keep up or whether he would just run out of steam. He was hyperaware of his own body – arms, legs, heart – but somehow he didn't feel as though he was straining. Maybe they weren't going as fast as he thought? Then he saw the board Coach was holding up to show him the lap time. Holy crap, was this fast!

"Oh, Carlisle, look at the time" Esme grabbed his sleeve and tugged. "He's never…"

Carlisle didn't answer, silently sending all his strength to his boy. Bella bit her lip but kept her eyes fixed on Edward.

Lap after lap, the other skater kept up the blistering pace and Edward stayed with him. He threw everything he had into the final lap but knew he couldn't close the few inches that separated them. As they slid across the line, Edward knew he had skated the best race of his life. There would be no regrets.

All eyes turned to the timer, and there was a huge cheer through the crowd as the letters WR appeared next to the first skater's time.

"World record?" Emmett screamed. "That guy just set a world record? Does that mean…"

Carlisle slapped Emmett on the shoulder "It means Edward was an inch off World record pace and that he…" A second roar went up as the board showed that E. Cullen had set a new American record. Number 1 and number 2 appeared next to their names.

Jasper listened to the United States broadcasters on his iPhone. "Edward Cullen of the United States is in silver medal position" they said "but there are still three pairs of skaters to go, including the leaders going into this race."

Bella watched as Edward took a quick cool-down lap. His eyes met hers and they both grinned. She blew him a kiss and waved the little flag. Emmett made sure to pass them out to everyone in their section.

Edward checked the board, and almost fell off his skates when he saw the new records. He offered a quick hug to his competitor, and they both moved off the ice to wait for the other three pairs to compete.

Bella kept her eyes glued to the timer as the first of the three pairs made their way around the track. "They're slow" she hissed to Alice. "They're way behind Edward's time." As the first pair finished, Carlisle, Emmett and Jasper shared a quick fist pump. No change in the leaders.

"Oh no" said Alice "this is Jacob's race, isn't it." Sure enough, as they watched, Jacob stepped into the inside lane, his cocky smile settling into a determined expression. As the race started, he pulled out and took a quick lead over his competitor. As they watched, Jacob increased his lead with every lap. He won with surprising ease. Everyone watched the time and Bella screamed when a number 3 went up next to Jacob's name. Edward was the first one to greet him when he came off the ice. One pair to go. A pair that included the former world record holder and defending gold medalist.

The crowd went silent and Edward leaned over to whisper in Jacob's ear. "I don't think I can watch this" he said. But watch it he did. It was the longest any race had ever felt. When the skaters hit the final corner, Edward let his eyes go to the clock. The next thing he knew, Jacob had literally picked him up and swung him around.

"We did it!" he screamed. "Silver and bronze!" They both turned to Coach, who hugged them and tried to pretend he wasn't crying.

Edward's entourage in the stands screamed, cheered, and hugged each other. Emmett and Jasper started a chant of "USA! USA!" Bella screamed right along with them, happy in a way that you can only be when the one you love accomplishes something so incredible.

Later that night, at the Olympic Plaza, Bella watched with pride as the three medalists were called to the podium. They cheered and whistled for Jacob as he stepped onto the bronze medal position. She held her breath as the announcer said in French and in English "From the United States of America, Edward Cullen." His messy hair reflected the lights as he bent to receive his silver medal. He waved and clutched the medal tightly in his hand. After the gold medal was awarded, the three men posed for pictures then greeted their family and friends.

"Edward and Jacob" said one of the American officials "we need you over here for some quick interviews."

"I'll wait for you here" said Bella, stepping back to stand with their friends.

"Oh no" he answered. "You're coming with me. I don't intend to spend another second apart from you for the rest of our time here."

As it turns out, they did have to spend part of one evening apart, although there were in the same general location. It was announced that Edward had been selected as the flag bearer for the Olympic closing ceremonies. When he entered the stadium, carrying the American flag and followed by dozens of cheering and dancing team members, there wasn't a dry eye in Bella and Edward's entire circle.

"Group hug!" yelled Emmett over the noise of the crowd. And that's just what they did.


	21. Chapter 21

Life's A Beach

Chapter 21

 **A/N – Thank you to everyone who stayed with me through the long delays. This story started because I was glad to be in one of my favorite places and then took me in a completely different direction than I originally intended, but I'm happy with where it ended up. For everyone who ever dreamed a dream, no matter how big or how small, this story is for you. We won't all get to be Olympic athletes, but finding love…well, that's pretty special too.**

 **My goal was to have this finished before the 2018 Winter Olympics were over (at least that became my goal, once I realized how long it was taking me to write it). Thank you to the reader who pointed out an error in an earlier chapter – it's been updated! Instead of making a separate epilogue, this chapter contains both the last chapter and a look into the future. Let's see what happens to our favorite couple and their friends.**

 **Thank you, as always, to Stephenie Meyer for letting us play with her characters. Everything Twilight belongs to her and no copyright infringement is intended.**

The sand was deliciously warm between Bella's bare toes and she wiggled them in sheer delight. It was fall in Hilton Head, September to be exact, and the ninety degree days of summer had given way to the delightfully perfect beach she stood on today. The sun was perfectly positioned in the late afternoon sky, and the rays reflecting off the typically gentle waves made the beach sparkle as if tiny diamonds had fallen overnight into the sand. It was relatively quiet up and down the beach, first because it was a Monday, and second because the local kids were back in school. Still, the happy squeals of the pre-school aged children playing with their parents on the beach could be heard in the distance and it just added to the contented atmosphere. Bella couldn't help but think back to another Monday, not so very long ago in the scheme of things, when she walked along this same beach. She smiled when she remembered the over-enthusiastic puppy who knocked her over into the water, turning her white tee shirt into a transparent mess. And of course that made her remember the first time she looked up into a pair of the most beautiful green eyes as he held out his hand and helped her up. Bella heard his words from that day echo in her head.

" _I'm Edward Cullen…and I'll find you, Bella Swan."_

And find her, he did.

She looked up into the eyes of the man standing next to her, squinting just a bit in the sunlight.

"Don't let me fall, Dad."

She smoothed the beautiful white tea length dress, checked the beaded headband that held back her hair, and tucked her hand into the crook of her father's arm.

"I won't" Charlie replied "but I'm glad you decided not to wear shoes. Wouldn't want you to land on your butt in the sand."

"Wouldn't be the first time" she said with a laugh. Bella turned her eyes to the rows of chairs forming a makeshift aisle on the beach. There, on her favorite beach, with the ocean as a backdrop, stood the man she would marry today.

Edward stood with his back to the water and grinned as he saw Bella take her first steps towards him. Normally, he found the sounds of the ocean soothing, but he was unbelievably anxious.

"Settle down, man" said Jasper, discretely elbowing his cousin. "You weren't this jumpy at the Olympics."

"Yeah, you're right" admitted Edward. "But can you blame me? Just look at her."

Jasper looked at the beautiful girl who had captured his cousin/best friend's heart. The look in Edward's eyes was mirrored in Bella's. Then he glanced over at Alice, who waited in her bridesmaid dress on the other side of the aisle. He felt his heart skip the same as it did the first time Alice walked into his bar. "Yeah" he said "I get it."

Emmett, who stood on the other side of Jasper said nothing. Rosalie had already threatened his life if he disrupted this wedding and he could feel her narrowed eyes peering at him from where she stood with Alice.

The music started, and Charlie escorted his daughter across the beach and down the aisle. When they got to the front, Charlie carefully pressed Bella's hand into Edward's, kissed her cheek, gave Edward one last glare (though his smile showed he didn't really mean it) and took his seat. The ceremony was short and sweet. They'd chosen to go with traditional vows. Though he wouldn't admit it, Edward was pretty sure he wouldn't have made it through anything he had to write himself and Bella agreed with him. Neither one was sure they would make it through the ceremony without crying. And they didn't even know their friends had bets going on which one of the two lovebirds would cry first.

"May I have the rings?" said the officiant. Edward looked down to where Aro sat patiently in the sand. Not quite a puppy anymore, he'd finally learned to sit and stay, at least most of the time, especially if there were treats involved.

"Hand 'em over, boy" Edward said quietly, taking the little basket Aro had carried down the aisle to everyone's delight and slipping him a dog biscuit in return. When Emmett called out "best ring bearer ever!" Bella, Edward, and all their guests had to laugh. Even Rosalie grinned at him, shaking her head.

After everyone settled down, Edward followed the officiant's instructions and slid the ring on Bella's finger. "With this ring" he said confidently "I thee wed."

Bella repeated the action, though her hand was shaking a bit. For a moment, she worried she would drop the ring and lose it in the sand. She tightened her grip, and pushed the ring onto his finger. "With this ring, I thee wed."

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may…" The officiant realized that Edward had jumped ahead and was already kissing his bride. "Well, carry on" he chuckled.

Bella would forever remember this moment, the press of Edward's lips against hers. She could hear the sounds of the waves, feel the warm sun on her face, but everything else dropped away. It was just the two of them, together, just where they wanted to be. Life, she thought, was pretty amazing.

* * *

 **Eight years later**

"Don't let me fall, Dad."

"I won't. You've got this." Edward followed closely behind as four year old Teddy Cullen skated his first full lap around a speed skating track. The bronze haired boy had been skating for over a year, since the first time they put tiny skates on his feet, but this was the first time he was making his way all around the track without help. "Don't look down" Edward said encouragingly. "Look at where you want to go."

When the exhausted but jubilant little boy finished his lap, all of Edward's students burst into applause. In the years since the Olympics, he'd built up a small but talented following as a coach and trainer. For the first two years, he and Coach Banner had worked side by side. Coach was the best kind of mentor, helping Edward learn the differences between skating yourself and coaching others. Then Coach announced that he was retiring, and turned everything over to Edward.

In those early years, Edward managed to complete law school, specializing in sports law, to fulfill the promise he made to his father and passed the bar exam. But they both realized that this is where Edward was meant to be. While Edward occasionally provided Carlisle's firm with advice on sports cases, his heart was on the track mentoring kids. Carlisle and Esme doted on their grandson and looked forward to his first races this fall.

Bella sat in her usual spot along the track, cheering and clapping along with everyone else. Her job as a freelance editor meant she could spend endless hours at the arena, often serving as a mother hen to the skaters Edward was training. Her heart nearly burst with pride as she watched her husband and son skating together, their matching bronze hair messy as always and their green eyes sparkling. She rubbed a hand over her small bump and whispered "Maybe you could look just a little bit like me, munchkin. What do you think?"

She set down her laptop, after saving the changes on the manuscript she was editing and made her way down the steps and along the track. Though he tried with some very creative bribes, Edward never did persuade her to learn how to skate. Bella always insisted that she could fall just as easily on solid ground, and didn't need any help from the ice.

Teddy shuffled his way over to his momma with a huge grin on his face and threw his arms around her in a big hug. "Did you see me momma? I made it all the way around."

"You were amazing, sweetie." Bella kissed her son and ruffled his hair. Then, just because she could, she stood on her toes and kissed her husband. Hard. The whistles from the skaters let her know she was pushing the limits. Edward clearly didn't mind and just shushed their audience.

"Everything packed?" asked Edward.

"Yup" she replied. "We're ready to go."

"Including the bikini?"

She looked down at her belly and back up at him. "Really?"

"Hey, some things never change" he said, with an unapologetic grin.

"Are we going to see Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper?" asked Teddy.

"We are. Tomorrow at this time you'll be running on the beach with your cousins."

"And Uncle Emmett and Aunt Rose?"

"Yup, as long as you remember not to do everything Uncle Emmett tells you to do. You check with us first." Bella snickered. Emmett was still an overgrown kid.

"And Aro?"

"And Aro." The dog was older now and lived in Hilton Head with Jasper and Alice, where he could lay in the warm sun every day. He adored Teddy and took great delight in knocking him over, with a much gentler push than he'd used on Bella.

Bella pointed to the bench. "Go take your skates off while Daddy closes up."

Edward said goodbye to his students, having already given them assignments for the two weeks he'd be away. He helped Teddy with his skates and then took off his own. Slinging his bag over one shoulder, he wrapped an arm around Bella and held out his other hand to their son.

"What are you thinking?" asked Bella.

"I'm thinking that one walk on the beach changed our whole lives, and I can't imagine it being any better. Life, for us, started with the beach."

"I can't argue with that" she grinned. "But tomorrow I expect you to kiss me on the beach and tell me again."

"I will, love. I will. Every day of every year for the rest of forever."

They headed out the door and made their way home.


End file.
